Rediscovering Destiny
by theladyknight
Summary: After the defeat of MaloMyotismon, fame followed them everywhere, pulling them apart, corrupting their crests and paving the way for an old enemy to return. Now they must band together once more to save both worlds. ON HIATUS! 4.14.07
1. Sick and Tired of This World

Rediscovering Destiny

By theladyknight

Summary: Fame was never something they sought. But after the defeat of Malomyotismon, it was all they received. Fame pulled them apart, corrupted their crests, and put the digital world in danger again. Now they must join together as an old enemy returns and rediscover their lost friendships and powers to save both worlds.

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or "On the Way Down" by Ryan Cabrera.

A/N: New story! Yay! Okay,when I first put this up, I labeled it as R, but I lowered the rating. It won't change to R for another few chapters or so. There may be a bit of OOCness in the first few chapters. It's a sorato and there could be other couples, but I haven't decided…everyone's in it, but Sora and Yamato will play are large role later on. So R&R and enjoy!

Chapter 1: Sick and Tired of this World

A wave of bright blue-green light illuminated the old campsite. The inhabitants there shielded their eyes and as the light began to lessen, Haruhiko Takenouchi looked one by one at the faces of the other parents. "Do you think…"

"They have really gotta fix these landings!"

Susumu Yagami rolled his eyes. "I'd say that's a safe assumption."

"Taichi! Hikari!" his wife shouted.

The gathered crowd turned in the direction of the new clump that had just appeared. A face belonging to a teen with gravity defying hair was the first to untangle himself. "Hey everybody!"

"Mom, dad!" his little sister exclaimed, running over to greet her parents.

One by one the remaining Japanese digidestined, in addition to their digimon, the children they had saved, and, of course, their digimon freed themselves from the clump and found their families.

"Daisuke, you don't know how proud of you we are." His father patted the boy warmly on the back while his mother and sister beamed at him.

Hiroaki Ishida and his ex-wife Natsuko Takaishi both hugged their sons. "You boys have done it again. Yamato, Takeru you guys have saved a lot of people."

"Aw, mom," the younger blond laughed, "we were just doing our job!"

His older brother released himself from his mother's grasp and looked around. The kidnapped children were all experiencing a joyous reunion with their families and from the looks of things, so were the digidestined. There was Koushiro and his parents, the Kidos, Mimi, the Yagamis…wait a second, Mimi?

"What are you doing here?"

She smiled at his confused look. "The portal sent me back here. I don't really know why, but I can't say I'm complaining. I'm sure mom and dad won't mind if I stay here a few days."

"It'll be just like old times." Another voice entered the conversation, andYamato felt a soft hand interlock with his. He grinned down at his girlfriend of a little more than a week. "I can't believe it's over."

"I know. It appears the digiworld is finally safe." Koushiro added, joining the group.

Jyou, seeing the formation, walked over as well. "It seems like we just went into the digital world and now our adventure is over."

"But we saved it. That's the important thing." Little Iori added. He looked in the direction of Noriko, the child who seemed to be at the heart of the kidnapping. "And they are all safe."

The other chosen faced Noriko and her family, and Taichi and the others all gathered around. "This was our best work yet, team." The brunette responded. "It almost appeared to be…"

He was cut off by the sound of sirens. "What's that?" Miyako wondered.

There was a crunching, crackling sound, and it sounded like many people were running in their direction. From behind a cluster of trees, a large group appeared.

Two police officers made their way to Noriko's family and began questioning them. Bright lights began flashing and clicking could be heard. "I guess Noriko's mom called the police." Mimi replied.

"Yeah, and somehow a group of reporters and writers got a hold of this." Takeru murmured.

"Look, are those the children?"

"I think they are!"

The mass dashed over to where the chosen were standing and began shouting out requests. "I'm so and so from the so and so journal." They would all cry in unison. "Please give us your story!"

"All these people are making my head spin!" Ken Ichijouji whispered to Daisuke.

"How was it that children were able to make these creatures disappear? What is special about you children?" the reporters continued to shoot off questions and snap pictures until one of the officers stood in front of them.

"You will all have a chance to ask these children questions later if their parents agree to it. For now, we ask that you leave them alone! We will issue a press release later in the night."

Disappointed, many of the reporters took one last shot before packing their things up and leaving. A few remained but after the police talked to them once more, they hastily left.

"It looks like you all are going to be celebrities. I don't know what you did back there, but whatever it was…thank you!" the police officer said before walking back over to Noriko's parents.

"Celebrities?" Taichi and Yamato replied in unison.

Mimi bit her lip. "Why would we be? There are hundreds of digidestined around the world. Why are we so special?"

"Probably because you were the first set of chosen," Shin Kido explained. "When word of what happened gets out to the world, everyone's going to want to talk to you. You all will be overnight celebrities!"

The chosen glanced at each other and were not sure how to reply to that. Luckily, Sora's father saved the day. "Sora, it's time for us to go. I'm sure you'll be seeing everyone tomorrow."

The other parents all informed their children it was time to leave as well. "Wait, there's one thing before we go." Taichi stated. The digidestined all stood in a circle, and their leader put his hand in the middle. The others, starting with Hikari, put their hands in as well. "Okay guys, no matter what happens next…no matter if we become famous or not, rich or poor, normal or celebrity, we're going to stay friends and not change. We all are going to live up to our crests and be the same nice normal people we've always been and stay friends no matter what. Agreed?"

The children looked each other in the eye and all at once responded. "Of course…"

**-5 Years Later-**

A lone figure glanced out at the digital world from behind a set of thick trees. He glanced both ways and thankfully saw none of the Dark One's spies. Knowing he had to get the supplies to Gennai, the teen threw caution to the wind and sprinted to the cave.

He continued looking around him and when he saw a dark silhouette immerging on the horizon, forced his legs to move faster. Finally he reached the cave but didn't stop running until he saw the digital being before him.

"Ken, were you spotted by anyone?"

"No, but I saw one of his henchman about a mile away."

Gennai hastily walked over to their computer and pushed a few keys. "Digital barrier on-line!"

"This should keep them away and keep our mission safe." Wormon, who had just come from the sleep quarters, stated.

Ken nodded. "But for extra protection…" he walked over to the computer and turned the holographic projector on, concealing the elaborate computer system. "We can't let them get to the computer or these." The teen held up a set of compact discs and Gennai beamed at him.

"Good work, my friend. We must view them now and see…the worst."

Both Ken and Wormon knew what the worst referred to. The worst was the fate that had befallen the digidestined after coming back to the real world. The worst was something Gennai had never imagined would happen to the chosen. The worst is what had caused the Digital World to be in its horrible current state.

The being inserted the first disc into the makeshift computer. Ken took out his digivice to record everything. It would be their backup copy. Gennai had installed a program on Ken's D3 making it capable to do so.

"Taichi Yagami, age 19, residence New York City, USA, and bearer of courage." The computer read off the file and launched into Taichi's story.

Ken didn't have to listen because he knew the story so well.

The digidestined left the campsite five years ago not knowing what was in store for them. The next morning, after news reports from around the globe had come in; each chosen received hundreds of calls asking them to tell their story.

Taichi, still being the leader, called a meeting at the park to discuss what they were going to do. "It seems to me, gang, that we have two options. We can either ignore everything…"

"…or get sucked in." Mimi answered.

The boy cracked a smile. "That's not how I was going to put it, but I think you summed it up, Meems."

Jyou cleared his throat. "If we do decide to do this thing, I think we should all go in it together. If one person doesn't want to do it, then we don't."

"I agree." Sora nodded. "Shin was right yesterday when he said we'd be celebrities. But I know I for one never wanted to be a celebrity like this. All we did was what we had to do. Wouldn't anyone do that?"

Hikari shrugged. "Not all people will do what they can if they won't receive anything in return. What do you guys think we should do?"

"Avoid it." Iori voiced his opinion first. "I just have a very bad feeling about this."

Takeru shook his head. "I don't know. I can see both some good and bad in it."

"I don't see what the harm of doing a few interviews is," his brother answered. "Maybe if we just tell them the story, they'll leave us all in peace."

Koushiro nodded. "I believe this is a powerful opportunity. One day it may be possible that everyone on earth possesses a digimon, and we want people to know the truth about them, not some fabricated myth someone else makes up."

One by one the group began showing their agreement until even the youngest member consented. "When you put it that way, well…I'm in…"

"Yamato Ishida, age 19, residence Miami, FL, USA, bearer of friendship."

It had started off simple enough. The digidestined had released to the press, through a press conference held at the end of the week, they would be open to do interviews together, placing heavy emphasis on the word together.

Instantly worldwide requests came flying in. It seemed every nation wanted to talk with these "saviors of the world" as one magazine had dubbed them.

Their first interview took place on _David Letterman. _(Not mine!) While the chosen had all admitted they wanted their first real interview to take place in Japan, it seemed America persisted until the country finally got what it wanted. America had to be the first to break this news to the world. Shortly after, the group appeared on news programs, talk shows, radio broadcasts, and the likes.

"Sora Takenouchi, age 19, residence Tokyo, Japan, bearer of love."

This continued on for months. The crew had thought this fame would only last for a few days, a few weeks, maybe even a month at the most. But they had been wrong. From America they headed back to Japan, then traveled to Germany, Australia, Brazil…the list went on and on. Their parents all got together and decided to hire a few private tutors to go along with them because they were about to miss the beginning of the trimester at school.

They had no trouble affording some teachers. Money was never an issue. Companies offered high prices for everyone to come travel to their city or country so they could claim to have "hosted the chosen". They had lit the Christmas tree in Times Square, opened a new display at Tokyo Tower and even met the queen of Britain. The profits were astronomical but yet throughout all this fame and fortune, the destined all stayed true to their beliefs.

"Koushiro Izumi, age 18, residence Paris, France, bearer of knowledge."

But that's where the problems emerged. The media began digging for information into their personal lives. They'd had a field day when they learned there were some romances within the digidestined. During a radio interview in Germany, Miyako had accidentally let it slip that Sora and Yamato were dating. Immediately everyone had wanted to know every little detail about their relationship.

"We're only fourteen!" Sora had explained. "Neither of us know if this relationship will last, but we're happy with it the way it is. He gets me and I get him, it's as simple as that."

Rumors began spreading about their love lives and the fact that a few of the other digidestined, particularly Taichi were jealous. "I'm not jealous of them. I'm happy for Sor and Yama. They go really well together…"

"Mimi Tachikawa, age 18, residence Hollywood, CA, USA, bearer of sincerity."

From Yamato and Sora's relationship, the focus shifted to the other's relationships, or lack thereof. It seemed none of the chosen could not go anywhere without some television network claiming they had hooked up with someone, even Iori. The media first made up stories about Mimi and Taichi being involved. Then they decided Mimi and Koushiro were meant to be, then Mimi and Jyou.

Mimi was the prime focus for many of their stories. She was the pretty one, the most energetic, bubbly girl everyone wanted to know. When she had moved to America right after the first time they'd gone into the digital world, she had taken up drama and acting and fallen in love with it. When she'd mentioned she had wanted to get involved in the arts during an interview, the first bomb had dropped…

"Jyou Kido, age 21, residence London, England, bearer of reliability."

It had been one year and half to the day when Mimi had announced she'd been offered a few movie roles and a possible recording contract. She told the others this was something she had always dreamed of but would turn it down if it would ruin their friendship and cause tensions. But the chosen had all encouraged her to go for it but warned her not to forget about them. Unfortunately, it happened that way…

"Takeru Takaishi, age 16, residence Kyoto, Japan, bearer of hope."

Mimi had rose to even more fame and glory overnight. Sure, all the digidestined had been praised and lauded and taken to new extremes. Many football teams (A/N: as in soccer...)showed interest in Taichi and Yamato's band was thrust into some major publicity. But Mimi was an instant star from her acting and the first to drift away from the group.

"Hikari Yagami, age 16, residence Tokyo, Japan, bearer of light."

Jyou was the next to leave. He had always wanted to be a doctor, and he felt being stuck in the limelight was degrading his chances of making that a reality. So Jyou took off to England, leaving ten destined left in the group.

"Daisuke Motomiya, age 16, residence Calgary, Canada, holder of courage/friendship digimentals."

The next to go were Koushiro and the younger chosen. Koushiro had been offered multiple spots at major computer companies when it was revealed he had a near genius IQ in the area of computers. The younger chosen, Takeru, Hikari, Miyako, Daisuke, and Iori, all were placed back in school. Their parents had been worried about the effects this fame had on them and wanted to get them back on their normal routines…

"Miyako Inoue, age 17, Las Vegas, NV, USA, holder of love/sincerity digimentals."

The group now numbered four, as the other eight slowly began to loose touch with their friends. A variety of elements, both from humans and nature, seemed to do what they could to keep the destined apart.

Ken had always wondered why his parents didn't want to bring him back, but he realized he had spent time in the spotlight before back when he was Kaiser. That experience had humbled him, once he had realized how horrible he'd been acting, and Ken had been the one to keep his head the most during this situation.

"Iori Hida, age 14, Tokyo, Japan, holder of the digimentals of reliability/knowledge."

Only he, Taichi, Yamato, and Sora remained. They tried their hardest to keep the group together but all their attempts failed. They vowed to stick together, but it all dissolved when Yamato's band was offered a recording contract no man would be able to turn down.

Ken remembered the day Yamato had left like it was yesterday. He and the band were boarding their own private jet, part of the deal, and saying their final goodbyes. "I never thought this would happen. I figured we'd all be together forever." Yamato had told Taichi.

The brunette forced a grin and gave him a…manly…hug, trying not to break down. "We're gonna miss you, hot shot. Just don't get sucked up in the fame like everyone else and you'll do fine."

"Keep it strong yourself. I don't want to hear your name in the news for some stupid reason." Yamato responded before moving onto Ken. "Look after these two. They're probably going to need some guidance and keep in touch with me for all the times I'll need it."

"Of course, Yamato. Good luck."

And then he'd moved onto his girlfriend. "If I could take you with me, I would, baby. But we're going to make this thing work no matter how far apart we are. Don't forget I love you so much, and I always will love you."

Sora wiped the tears out of her eyes. "I love you too, Yama-kun. I wish it didn't have to happen this way. I wish we could be together and this whole media thing had never happened. I wish you wouldn't have to leave me." Ken saw the regret in the blonde's eyes for accepting this proposal and saw his hand jump to his coat pocket. "I love you too and I will never stop loving you…"

"Ken Ichijouji, age 17, residence unknown, bearer of kindness."

Yamato had gotten on the plane and, for awhile, they had kept contact, but then things fell apart. Taichi moved onto America after seeing his best friend, and the strongest member of the digidestined succumb to the pressure. Sora remained in Japan with her mother, still hoping the destined would one day renew their friendship. Ken didn't really know where her relationship with Yamato stood. They tried their best to keep in touch but Ken had a feeling, they like the others had drifted apart as well…

"We're going to need to get them here." Gennai snapped Ken out of his thoughts. "We've tried our best to hold them off by ourselves but now we know we can't do it alone. If there's any hope of saving the digiworld, it lies in the digidestined reuniting and rediscovering their lost friendships and power."

Ken looked up at his mentor. "Do you think we can do it?"

"I'm not sure." The being replied. "But there's only one way to find out…"

A/N: So what do you think? Please review and let me know! In the next few chapters the fate of each digidestined will be explained in a lot more detail and their reasons for changing. Well I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and holiday season and Happy New Year..._this _is most likely my last update of this year!


	2. There's No More Air

Rediscovering Destiny

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon and the song "On The Way Down" by Ryan Cabrera are not mine!

**_Crazed-girl:_**_ Hope you like it!_

**_Curtis Zidane Ziraa:_**_ Well, I hope this lives up to your expectations. I can think of so many ways for this thing to go…_

**_Jodi Crystal:_**_ Yep, Ken and Gennai…_

**_Maresia Eterna:_**_ Yes, this is most definitely a sorato and kenyako as well. There'll probably be hints of other couples but at the moment, I'm not too sure which. _

**_Youkaiwriter:_**_ Thanks!_

**_Sorato4eva:_**_ It was a bit sad, come to think of it…_

**_Mrs. Ishida-to-you:_**_ I've always thought the 02 ending was a bit abrupt and something else had to happen in between._

**_Yutaka:_**_ Thanks!_

**_Digilover:_**_ It won't be an official couple but, there'll probably be some hints for michi…_

**_Money makes me smile:_**_ I like your idea, and if you don't mind, I'm going to use the concept of it later on in future chapters…it's kind of along the same lines but still a bit different…_

**_stuublyanimal:_**_ Thank you; I'm glad you like!_

**_B.R. Wells:_**_ Well, here it is…_

**_Ballet Kitty:_**_ Please don't cry! Lol!_

**_Cherryblossom Sky:_**_ I have absolutely no idea. The ideas just come to me. I don't really think it seems like I spend an exceptionally long time on each story. But then again, I've been reading my own writing for so long that I'm my worst critic…_

**_SoratoFan:_**_ There'll probably be some koumi hints along the way…_

**_Crazyamzy: _**_Yeah, I am a bit random when I update. Thanks for catching the misspelling. It was like __11:30__ Christmas night when I put this up and things were finally quiet at my house!_

**_Inconnu:_**_ I don't blame you for skimming; I can get a bit carried away…hehehe…I wasn't sure if I should post it but with "Highest Bidder" and "Game of Life" slowly coming to an end, I figured why not?_

Chapter 2: There's No More Air

"How long will it take us to get them here?" Ken faced Gennai.

The digital being sighed. "I'm assuming 24 to 48 hours, but I'm not quite certain. Things could get messy along the way. The Dark One and his troops have spies all over and with the destruction of the digital gates added in with the digivice's margin for error…well, I have a feeling you guys might all end up separated."

Ken gave a low whistle. "And given the fact none of the chosen know what's going on here…"

"Exactly. But, I have a plan…"

* * *

Taichi Yagami yawned and stretched under the covers of his nice warm bed. He rolled over and felt something warm next to him. _Shit, you've got to be kidding me._

He heard the woman yawn and giggle. "Hey Tai!"

"Heh, hi…Alicia." _I hope that's right. How many beers did I have last night?_

She got out of bed and gathered her clothes, not a bit ashamed she was standing naked in front of him. Taichi, on the other hand, had his eyes clenched shut and was mentally kicking himself. "Well, I'll talk to you later, sexy." She purred after giving him a kiss. The blond woman smiled and walked out the door.

When the door shut, the brunette collapsed back in his bed. "Damn it, Yagami, how the hell did you get yourself into this?"

Sadly he knew it wasn't hard to figure out.

_And I used to call myself the bearer of courage._ Tai sighed and pondered over the good times before he had come to this. Things had been great until the digidestined had split up.

One by one it seemed they'd all fell apart. First Mimi, then Jyou, the list continued on and on. Taichi swore he would never succumb to the pressure but when Yamato, the strongest chosen in his opinion, left, and Taichi saw the impact it left on Sora, he'd fallen prisoner.

The former leader couldn't handle the pressure anymore. He had returned home to his family but just wasn't the same guy he used to be. Tai began getting in random fights with his family, the courage and strength he once possessed turned into fear and anxiety. He felt it was his responsibility to hold the group together, but he had failed and let everyone down.

Taichi wanted to start over, begin again in his mind. The brunette saw his only escape as leaving for America, the so-called land of opportunity. So he packed up his possessions, left his family a note telling them not to worry, and bought a one-way ticket to the Big Apple, ready to try a change.

But it didn't happen as planned. Taichi arrived in New York with plenty of money and immediately found an apartment to rent. He then, not really knowing what he wanted to do with his life, applied for classes at a community college. The former leader figured he could use this as an opportunity to find what he was really interested in and most of all, keep his mind off the situation he found himself in.

Financially he was set, having a decent amount of money from his time in the spotlight. Taichi had set out to college and soon began hanging out with some of the guys in his classes. Not knowing anyone and being a stranger to this foreign place, he'd immediately tried to fit in. Tai didn't want to be left out, alone without friends as he had felt when the chosen began to dissolve and through this fear, fell victim to their peer pressure.

These "friends" were someone this chosen could have and should have avoided. He began ditching classes with them, going to wild clubs and parties, getting wasted, and squandering his money. Deep down, Taichi knew what the guys were basically just using him and weren't true friends. He missed the destined, his best friends, his second family, the ones who really understood him. Taichi craved for his old life and old friends…badly…

* * *

"Who's gonna dry my tears, when I'm crying? And who's gonna hold my hand, when I'm dying? Who's gonna set me right when everything is wrong? And who's gonna love me, when you're gone?" 

Groaning, Yamato Ishida stretched and hit his alarm clock, shutting it off. _7:00 am__, damn it, Yutaka. Why did you have to schedule band practice this early in the morning?_

The nineteen-year old stood up and walked into the bathroom of his condo in Miami. He washed his face off and looking into the mirror, saw a man with spiky blond locks, unblemished skin, and startling blue eyes. It appeared he had everything.

But how Yamato hated the man staring back at him. He hated the life he lived, the people he hung around with, and his current circumstances. The thing he hated most, though, was the band.

He had not started the band to become famous in the first place. Yama could care less about fame and fortune. Music had saved him from some of the darkest, most depressing times of his young life. He had never wanted to startling high salary, nice, fancy cars, or automatic career elevation the recording contract he'd signed had given him. Material possessions were on the bottom of his list.

Truthfully, the only reason Yamato had signed the contract was because his three remaining close friends, not his band mates, had encouraged him to pursue the career choice. It seemed that if he didn't fulfill this dream opportunity now, this amazing deal would go to waste.

"The Wolves" had learned this deal was indeed too good to be true after reaching America. Their record label, Yamato had no idea what its name was as it seemed they were always merging with another, had changed them. The label switched the name from "The Teen-Age Wolves" to just "The Wolves." Yutaka and Akira had both gotten makeovers so they were more "public friendly" and all the guys' names had been changed or shortened, making them "easier for the public."

Yamato snickered, it was all a load of crap. He got dressed and absentmindedly began humming the song he heard on the radio. _Something by Richard Marx if I'm not mistaken._ (When You're Gone—Richard Marx, not mine!) No matter what, thinking about the words made Yamato remember those he left behind.

The chosen had almost completely been severed when he had left, and from what the blond had heard, they'd all went their separate ways. Yama had managed to keep in touch with Ken, Taichi, Takeru, and Sora but soon it seemed only Ken and Sora responded. He had no idea what happened to his best friend or younger brother. Tai and Takeru just stopped answering his calls and messages. And while even to this day he occasionally kept in contact with Ken, Sora was a different story…

They'd remained in a long-distance relationship, starting two years ago when the band left. He talked to her everyday and despite everything, the two had still been able to hold their relationship.

Yamato didn't see Sora face to face, due to circumstances with the band that were completely out of his control, until four months ago. They returned to Japan for a tour and he'd snuck off one night to see her.

She was very surprised to see him, to say the least. Yamato could picture the way she looked perfectly. It seemed she had grown more beautiful with every passing day. They'd talked and caught up and finally ended up in the bedroom of her apartment, making love. She'd given him her virginity and he'd given the same back to her. It felt as if the rock star was finally whole and complete next to the woman he loved.

He had to leave the next morning but was even more in love with her. They'd talked the day afterwards, but then he hadn't heard anything from her since. Yamato had phoned, yet she was never home or someone would take a message. All his e-mails bounced, coming right back to him.

With time, he slipped into the same stoical state he'd been in during the digital world adventure. Yamato'd lost contact with Ken, and it seemed he was falling back into the darkness, desperately seeking something rather someone to pull him out of it. He missed his friends and Gabumon greatly.

The teen idol walked over to his dresser and pulled out the gorgeous diamond ring he'd bought two years ago before he left. _If only I'd given it to you then, Sora…_

* * *

"Matt Ishida and The Wolves have once again jumped to number one!" the bubbly voice of the MTV (Not mine) announcer screamed. "Here they are with their newest single!" 

"Shut it off, Li." A fiery redhead commanded.

Her boss, the owner and manager of the bar, raised an eyebrow. "Problems with lover boy?"

"My relationship with Yamato is none of your damn business." Sora Takenouchi hated it when people intruded into her life, particularly her love life.

"Whatever you say. But the customers like it, so I'm not turning it off."

The girl sighed. _Why do I work here again? That's right, I need someway to pay for college and help my financial situation out._ Bartending and working at a ritzy hotel was never something she would have considered but then again, Sora never imagined she'd be studying fashion design at Tokyo University either. It seemed she could relax when she drew and forget all her troubles in the world, especially the troubles with her friends. She also never believed things with the chosen would turn out this way.

Sora vowed to keep going even as chosen after chosen lost contact with the group. She had to force herself to continue when her best friend Taichi packed up and abruptly left for America with no explanation. She'd already lost Yamato, and it hurt her to loose the person she considered closer than a brother.

The ruby-haired girl maintained contact with Ken and Yama. Ken was like another brother to her, but one day, he just mysteriously vanished. She was worried about him but figured he, like the others, was most likely okay. She had obviously kept in touch with Yamato, her boyfriend, soul mate, and love of her life.

However, after two years of a successful long-distance relationship through the ups and down life threw at them, one night of love, and one phone call the next day, they'd lost contact.

Sora had no idea what happened. She'd tried calling him the following day but his phone was always busy. She figured he was occupied with other matters. The next time she'd tried, someone else had answered and took a message. But it appeared it never got to him.

She was unable to e-mail him as her e-mail had been infected by a very nasty virus that no one had been able to cure yet. She'd gotten a new account but when she'd tried to e-mail her boyfriend, it came back. Sora forgot he had a block on his mail and because she couldn't get a hold of him by phone, he wouldn't have her new address.

And that served a real problem because during the time she needed him most, Sora could not reach Yamato.

Two weeks after the night they'd made love, she'd been late on her period. Sora was immediately afraid. The girl had tried everything to get in touch with the blond but it was no good.

"Hey lady, get me a scotch on the rocks."

Sora snapped out of her daydream and walked over to get the drink. She paused, looking at the TV and catching Yama's eyes. She knew it was just a recorded video, but it really felt as if he was looking deep into her heart.

At the same time, she burned with anger at seeing his face. Sora felt unloved; she needed him, and he wasn't there. The girl was slowly forgetting what love was and how much it meant to her. She poured the drink and thought back to the test she'd ended up taking and her trip to the doctor's office for another opinion. _I need to talk to you Yama…_

* * *

Koushiro Izumi took a long drink of coffee before turning back to the computer in front of him. He didn't know when he first took up the habit of drinking the liquid. Taichi and Yamato had always warned him to avoid it so it wouldn't stunt his growth even more. _If only you two could see me now._

Actually, Koushiro himself never thought this was how he would end up.

He had been one of the first few chosen to leave after being offered a position at a so-called computer company. Koushiro knew his future was destined to be in computers and assumed this was it.

Unfortunately the place located in Paris, France, wasn't exactly a computer company. This business had offered an astronomical salary, and the boy genius soon found out why.

The business was hacking and creating computer viruses. As soon as he heard it, the bearer of knowledge tried to get out. But his boss didn't see it the same way. Koushiro had been forced to stay at gunpoint. He knew it was wrong but couldn't face death.

So the teen began his training. His boss was a genius and really knew what he was doing. Koushiro felt himself slowly being sucked into this new, evil knowledge the same way Vademon had sucked him in years before in the digital world.

How he indeed missed the digi world, Tentomon, and his friends. The boy often wondered what the others were up to. He missed Daisuke's lame jokes. He wondered if Taichi had finally cut his hair. He missed long shopping trips, carrying all sorts of bags for Mimi. Was she still in acting? Koushiro didn't get out much. His life was mainly spent in front of a computer. Were Sora and Yamato still dating?

During what little downtime the teen possessed, he had secretly been working on a way to enter the digital world. His generation of chosen did not bear digivices that let them go there, and Iori sent him an e-mail a few years back that told him the second groups D3's had stopped functioning as well.

It was almost as if something was happening there yet no one knew. The boy looked at the clock. _Crap, I've got three hours to get this figured out!_

Boss had put him in charge of beta testing a new program after the recent success he'd had. Koushiro had developed an unstoppable virus, able to shut down one's e-mail. _Well, I'd better get back to this. Still, my gut is telling me something's going on in the digital world…_

* * *

"No, no, no! Meems, darling, it's an F, not an F sharp. That clashed horribly! Do it again!" 

Mimi Tachikawa groaned and again began singing the chorus. She was currently in between projects. For the next two hours, she'd be recording her solo album "Just An Average Girl" and then from there, head to the movie set where she was filming Underneath it All, her latest movie.

"Okay, Meems, take five," her manager Claire called out. "Then we'll start again."

The now brunette girl nodded and headed into her private room. It was just another average day. To anyone else it would seem like she was the perfect girl. But deep down, no one knew her. _I don't even know myself anymore._

Mimi had gone from being a celebrity to a household name in a matter of months. Her first film astounded audiences and earned her an _Oscar._ (Not mine!) The next two were also very successful and things were going great.

Then it happened. She appeared in a bomb that critics dubbed the worse thing they'd seen and called Mimi's acting as "stiff as a _Barbie_ doll." (Not mine!)

From there she decided to take a break, deciding to regather herself.

Her new Hollywood friends tried to help her out of the slump and depression by taking her to parties and out drinking, though they knew she was well below the legal age. One of the girls Mimi started to hang out with offered her pain killers and told her they could make all her problems vanish. The actress had hesitated at first but hen accepted. For awhile she was addicted, but had found the strength within her to quit.

But her problems continued. She had begun acting again and was gradually returning to her star status. Mimi was the target of numerous evil rumors. Some called her anorexic. Others claimed she was a slut. The girl denied everything and put on a cool face for the public, but they were truly eating her up.

_If the chosen saw me like this, what would they think?_ No matter how famous she got, Mimi knew she'd never forget them.

The girl would be the first to admit she was the reason they'd lost contact. The spotlight had blinded her, causing her to forget her true friends and the trait of sincerity/purity she once carried with honor.

She missed Sora and the good times they spent together. She wondered if Hikari had picked Daisuke or Takeru. She missed just hanging out with the guys, helping them cram for their exams.

"Mimi, time to get back!"

The girl sighed. _Great, back to reality…_

* * *

"Most of your midterms turned out surprisingly well, but there are a select few who should reconsider a career in medicine." 

Jyou Kido nervously bit his lip, praying he wasn't one of them. The professor handed him his paper and the boy let out a sigh: 93 percent, an A-.

_Thank goodness._ "Class is dismissed."

Jyou stood up and gathered his things. "Hey, Kido, my frat's having a big bash tonight to celebrate the end of tests. You coming?"

"Sorry Luke, I've got work."

"Dude, when don't you have to work? That's all you ever do anymore, Jyou. You're either working or studying. Live a little bit!" the black-haired boy exclaimed.

Jyou gave a nervous chuckle. "I'll have time to relax after I graduate."

The boy rolled his eyes. "Whatever, dude."

One glance at the clock told him he'd be late if he hesitated any longer. _I've gotta go! They told me they'll let me go if I'm late again!_

Jyou ran out the room and hurried across campus in London, England, to the college's coffee house.

"I was beginning to wonder, Kido." His boss stated.

"Don't worry, I'm here with…thirty seconds to spare."

She raised her eyebrows. "Well since you're actually here, get your ass out there and bus some tables."

"Of course, ma'am."

The blue-haired boy sighed. _I'm so overworked. _This was normal for him, though. In addition to holding two jobs, Jyou attended college, and held study groups daily.

This was taking its toll on him as well. Once known as Old Reliable, Jyou was very close to loosing his job at the coffee house. He had shown up late or not at all quite often, and his boss was not happy.

Jyou was working on four hours of sleep a night. He'd gotten used to it, but at first, ended up skipping classes to catch up on sleep. And his Western Civilization mark proved that.

He had no problem being accepted into the University but as he'd been one of the first to leave the digidestined, he was running out of money. That was the cause of the lack of sleep and two jobs. Jyou was quite often near a nervous breakdown.

_If only I'd stayed with the group. If only I had the others or Gomamon here with me._

Jyou missed his friends and the comfort and friendship they provided. He hadn't kept in touch, mainly because he was overworking himself. But really, the boy missed them and the impact they had had on him.

And his partner was in the digi world. Gennai had taken the digimon back when he heard the group agreed to do the interviews. "People will use them and they will be endangered in your world."

But in the pit of his stomach, Jyou believed they were in more danger there. _I could always tell when Gomamon was in trouble and needed help. This feels like one of those times. Maybe Gennai will call us back and we'll all be together again. Maybe…_

A/N: Please review! Next chapter is packed with the 02 destined's stories. And after that chapter, I promise everything starts to pick up! Hope you enjoyed and remember to review!


	3. Trippin' Over Myself

Rediscovering Destiny

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon and the song "On the Way Down" by Ryan Cabrera are not mine!

A/N: It's longer than I expected it to be, but finally here's chapter 3. I had a case of writer's block and have barely any spare time. I know I left a lot of blanks in here, and you're probably wondering a few things—if Daisuke ever got over Hikari, if Sora's pregnant, who the Dark One is—but they'll be revealed in later chapters! Please review!

**_Curtis Zidane Ziraa:_**_ Yep, and he's not the only one responsible for stuff like that…_

**_Moneymakesmesmile:_**_ Your guesses might be right but maybe not. –evil smile- Guess you'll just have to read and see…_

**_SallyGirl:_**_ Thanks! That's one of the reasons I wanted to write this—because no one ever really captured what happened afterwards. I love the song too and thought it was pretty fitting for the story. _

**_Mrs. Ishida-to-you:_**_ Don't worry; I've gotten flamed by Cloaked Fox once under his/her name and a couple times anonymously…you're not the only one…_

**_BrnttsDoItBest:_**_ Maybe…_

**_RW Grimm:_**_ Maybe…_

**_Jodi Crystal:_**_ Next chapter they'll all go back to the Digiworld…_

**_Crazyamzy:_**_ Yeah, it sucks to write about their problems!_

**_Inconnu:_**_ Who said they didn't use protection? Lol! Yeah, I'm not too big on the 02 season—gotta love Takeru and Hikari though. I wasn't going to write much but somehow…I did, go figure. There's a lot of important stuff in here though…_

­-And thanks to **LynLin, Ballet Kitty, sorato-takari, teehee, SoratoFan, Cherryblossom Sky, **and **animeaddict99**…now onto the fic…

Chapter 3: Trippin' Over Myself

"Is the system set up yet?" Ken paced back and forth across the room.

Gennai nodded his head. "Calm down, Ken. Worrying will get you nowhere."

The teen sighed. "You're right; I'm just getting a bit anxious."

"With good reason. The fate of both worlds lies in the digidestined's hands once more. It's up to you all to correct your mistakes and get rid of the Dark One's powers…"

The Dark One; Ken's mind drifted off as the digital being rambled off. He knew he should be paying attention but sometimes, well, quite often, Gennai had the horrible problem of overexpressing his thoughts.

Ken had heard quite a bit of the Dark One from the time he'd first come to the Digital World to his current state. For a long time the teen wondered why he'd been able to come back into the digiworld yet none of the others could even make contact with it. Gennai had only recently told him that.

Ken stuck it out with Yamato, Taichi, and Sora, holding onto the hope the group would come back together. When the blond left for America, Ken still believed, but his belief faded when news hit him that Taichi had left.

The teen tried to stay in contact with everyone from his home in Japan, but it seemed only Takeru and Yamato responded. Ken had no idea what happened with Daisuke; the last he knew, the spiky-haired boy had been sent to a boarding school over in Canada. Miyako, who he knew had a crush on him, went back to school and then abruptly left the town. Ken really wasn't too sure what happened with her. Iori kind of kept to himself. And Hikari and Takeru…Ken heard from the younger blond there was a rift in their friendship and something had gone wrong.

For that reason, the bearer of hope began to drift away too, at least that's what Ken assumed. Soon Ken was basically only in communication with Yamato, every now and then hearing from Sora.

He considered the rock star a close friend. They'd become friends in the first place starting with their trip to Mexico a couple years ago. Ken didn't know very many of the older destined then, but Yamato was friendly to him and the two found out they got along pretty well. From there, Ken had sort of become Yamato's psychologist. The blond trusted Ken quite a bit, and told him thing he sometimes couldn't tell the others.

Around the same time Yamato and Sora began to loose touch, Ken lost contact with the blond. It seemed now that he couldn't reach Sora, Yamato wanted to cut off anything that reminded him of her and their group of friends. Every so often, Ken would receive a call from Yamato and it was clear the rock star was in pain. From the stories Takeru and Hikari had told him about their first trips to the digiworld, it appeared Yama was slipping back into the same stoical, depressed state. He had wanted Ken to talk him through his troubles, but sadly, it didn't happen that way.

Ken knew it was his fault they didn't talk anymore.

About three months ago, as the last trimester of the school year ended, Ken came home from school. He was checking his e-mails, having just turned the computer on, when suddenly an overwhelming purplish, black light emitted from the drawerthat held his digivice and crest.

The boy-genius was immediately confused. He'd heard from the others awhile back that their digivices had quit responding, and they'd lost all touch with the digital world. Curiously, he opened up his drawer. The light enveloped him, blacking him out.

When Ken awoke, he knew he was no longer residing in his bedroom. The teen looked around, gasping at his surroundings. "Good to see you again, Ken."

"G…G…Gennai?" he stuttered. "How...how did I get here?"

The being sighed. "It's quite a long story, but as you have no where else to go, and given the fact you need to be informed, I'll tell you…"

It was there Gennai began informing him about the Dark One and the powers he was so rapidly gaining. It wasn't the first time, though, that Ken had ever heard of the Dark One. Back in his early teens, he'd learned about this Digimon first hand. The Dark One had even tried to get Ken on his side. The teen was positive this time he was going to strike…hard.

Gennai only revealed bits and pieces of what was going on. He promised Ken he'd reveal the full story once the two sets of chosen were able to get back into the digital world.

Because of the paths each chosen had taken, the traits their crests symbolized seemingly vanished. Along with these qualities, their ability to go to the digiworld and see their partners also left. These traits were their link between the two worlds and without them, disrupted the balance. Without the digidestined and their pure traits providing the good for the world, the Dark One was able to gain control.

So alas, when Gennai had tried almost everything, he'd resorted to calling in the destined. He'd tried many times before, but it had been to no avail. They were unable to get there. He decided to try Ken, and after visiting with Azulongmon, received an energy core strong enough to summon the teen.

Ken had been able to get there because he still held the power of his crest and hadn't succumbed to the pressures facing the chosen. From his experience of being the famous "boy genius", Ken was able to avoid turning out the same way as the others.

For the past few months, he and Gennai had been working tirelessly on developing a way for the others to get into the digiworld. Ken e-mailed his parents, telling them he'd been accepted into a Gifted and Talented program at a university in Australia and would be spending some time there. He told them he'd had to leave urgently, was okay, and would be staying in touch with them. So far, other than at the beginning, they hadn't really questioned it. Sometimes Ken was happy his parents were a bit gullible.

Finally, after some hard work with the four guardians of the digital world, they were able to determine a way for the others to get in, figure out many of the crests' powers were spread around the digital world, and most importantly, evade the Dark One's forces.

His power had continued to escalate, and Ken knew if the chosen couldn't go into the world and save it, everyone in the real and digital world was doomed.

"…that would be it, Ken. I think we're ready to launch this program…"

Ken nodded. _Let the game begin…_

* * *

"Yo Dave! Coach wants to talk to you." 

Daisuke Motomiya turned around, trying not to cringe at the name. _Doesn't he listen when I tell him and the others, for that matter, not to call me that?_

"I'm on my way, Chris." The teen forced a smile, heading out the weight room door and over towards the Coach's office.

When he was clear of his teammate, Daisuke rolled his eyes. He really despised that guy. Actually, if you wanted to be politically correct, Daisuke didn't like very many people at his new school. _I can't believe I, the former bearer of courage and friendship, am stuck here…_

It really wasn't much of a mystery to the teen why he ended up there in the first place. Daisuke had gotten into a bit of trouble since he got back to Odaiba. His parents, Takeru's mom, the Yagamis, the Inoues, and Iori's mom put them back in school. They were obviously instant celebrities at school, and Daisuke found that he quite liked the life of popularity. Teachers revered him, students idolized him, girls wanted to date him just because of his status.

Slowly, the teen began to drift away from his normal group of friends. Takeru, Hikari, and Iori preferred a less gregarious life while he and Miyako both were accustomed to the popularity. Daisuke started to hang around with the more popular kids, ignoring his old friends and chosen.

Life was easy for him. Some of his teachers became pushovers, and he could weasel his way out of anything. The second leader was invited to all the huge parties, dated many of the school's girls, and just got into bits of trouble. His parents were ashamed and embarrassed of the way he was acting, and had Daisuke stopped to think about it too, he probably would have thought the same.

The last straw, which explained how he ended up in Calgary in the first place, happened two years ago. He and some friends were at a party, and while they were drunk, went outside and vandalized a local store. His parents had had enough. Daisuke's mom had been researching different boarding schools in Japan, but didn't find one that met up to the Motomiyas standards. They had finally found one, though, but it was located in Calgary, Canada. They were both a little wary of sending their son all the way to North America, but in the end, decided it was the only possibility.

So Daisuke was now one of three hundred boys attending Sergeant Bluff School, a private boarding school. Daisuke was not happy with the change. He missed his life in Japan, and the so-called friends he had.

But quietly, though he'd never admit this to anyone, Daisuke knew it was all his fault he was residing here. He missed his real friends, the destined. The teen missed vying with Takeru for Hikari's attentions. He missed Hikari, and the way she'd always listen to his problems and troubles. He missed hearing Miyako's crazy antics, and even missed some of her complaining.

Daisuke was friendless here at the school. No one cared that he was world-famous, and he actually had to admit that wasn't bad. People just assumed he was stuck-up and didn't need their friendship. Though he tried, no one would hang around with him. The trait of friendship he once bore was falling fast. He'd tried to be courageous about the whole thing too, but after a year, decided loneliness better suited him.

Soccer was the only thing he looked forward to anymore, but even there, he didn't feel like one of the community. The school had an incredible team, and Daisuke just barely made the roster. He guessed it was a result of the time he'd taken off from soccer in those few years after the defeat of Malomyotismon. So in a desperate attempt, to hopefully garnish him some playing time and friends, the teen turned to steroid use.

His performance had definitely improved, but the boy had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that's what Coach was going to address him about. _Someone must have found out._ Hesitantly Daisuke made his way to the Coach's door. _I would much rather be in __Japan__ with my friends or in the digiworld with Veemon right now…_

* * *

"Miyako, dear, I didn't order a vanilla latte." 

"That was mine." A strawberry-haired woman raised a hand. "This mocha latte isn't mine, though."

Miyako Inoue offered an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry; they must have gotten mixed up in the car."

"This is like the fifth day she's screwed up our orders." It was a scathing whisper only meant for one person to hear. Unfortunately, Miyako heard it too.

She bit her lip to keep her temper in check. _If I'm able to stay with this job, maybe one day I'll be a famous talk show host._ "I'll be at my desk if you guys need me."

"Thanks Miyako, darling." The two women, both in their late twenties, gave her forced cheery smiles.

The teen stomped off to her cubicle, if you'd call it even that. The owners of Kathy's Korner, the hot Vegas talk show, had given her a little coffee table to use as a desk. Miyako sighed, sitting down on the stool they'd so graciously provided for her. _It wasn't supposed to turn out like this._

Miyako and the other preteens returned to school in Japan. The lavender-haired girl was thrilled Mimi had been offered a recording contract and been signed to work on some movies. Mimi was like the perfect older sister figure, and Miyako admired her to no end. She followed all of Mimi's works closely via television, the Internet, radio, and every now and then actually corresponding with Mimi. Secretly, it was Miyako's dream to do the same thing Mimi did.

She knew she could never make it at a singer; she once scared all the birds out of the park with her singing, but for as long as she could remember, Miyako loved acting and talking. If she couldn't make it as an actress, the girl would have loved to go into broadcast journalism or be a talk show host. Just like the one she worked for.

Her parents were not thrilled when they heard Miyako's choice of occupation. "You're only seventeen years old!" her dad proclaimed. "You need to get an education first!"

"Yes, Miyako, an education is very important."

"I know that!" she'd countered. "But this is what I want to do."

"There are other, more realistic things you could pursue." Her father chided.

Miyako glared at them and her brothers and sisters who had gathered around. "I don't care. This is what I want to do, and I'm going to do it!" Saying that, she picked up her packed bags, went to the airport, and bought a ticket to Las Vegas, Nevada, where she heard Mimi was currently living. It was a spur of the minute thing, and the girl now realized she should have planned it out more.

She had decided to stay with Mimi. They were close friends, and Mimi would let her. Sadly for Miyako, that wasn't the case.

The teen hadn't heard from Mimi in quite some time and was starting to doubt her plan. She took the money and started renting an apartment. She also enrolled in school, knowing it would help her in the future, and if things fell apart, she could go back to school.

Though she technically wasn't considered an adult, the administrators of the school let her in, as she was a famous figure, without any questions. Her classes were rather boring, and she found the transition from the Japanese school system to the American way hard. Miyako made a few friends, but mostly kept to herself. People assumed she was a foreign exchange student and didn't really bother with her.

In that time, she sent a letter to Mimi, asking her if she could live with her. She waited and waited and waited, finally receiving a response a good half-year later. The response hurt Miyako deeply. It was a signed picture from Mimi—though Miyako was fairly certain it was just a stamp—that said _Thanks for the support! Love, Mimi_

Miyako was shocked. She couldn't believe Mimi would send her something like that. They were friends; she wasn't just some fan wanting an autograph. The girl began to grow green with envy over Mimi's success and fame. She cut off all contact with her other friends as a result of what happened with Mimi. Miyako decided to focus her energy on becoming the best and beating Mimi.

Her chance appeared at one of the local broadcast shows, Kathy's Korner. Miyako walked in and was granted an audience with Kathy because of her high social, famous status.

Kathy appeared to be a nice lady, but didn't see things Miyako's way. She didn't have any openings for someone so young and inexperienced. However, being that Miyako was well-known; Kathy offered her a job there anyway. She'd be like a personal assistant to Kathy and helping out with little odds and ends.

It sounded at first like a dream come true for Miyako, but she soon came to hate the job with an undying passion. These odd jobs mainly consisted of getting the producers and staff coffees everyday, shredding paper, and cleaning up after everyone. It was not the glamorous life she expected. Her work began to slip, and she was apathetic to the whole thing.

It appeared Kathy was ready to cut Miyako when Miyako made a daring move. She made up a rumor about Mimi being anorexic, just so Kathy would have a huge show and keep Miyako around. The talk-show host, always ready for a juicy bit of gossip, was thrilled beyond all belief and immediately took it to air.

The lavender-haired girl regretted what she said almost instantly. From what she read in the papers, this was really hurting Mimi, and Miyako knew this wasn't the way she was. She was compromising her qualities of love and sincerity/purity to stay in the public eye. _I've been a bitch to so many people. I was so incredibly rude to my family and now I just did something horrible. If only I had the others to turn to or Hawkmon to counsel me…_

* * *

"Grandpa, I'm home." 

The old man smiled at his young grandson. "How was school today, Iori?"

"The same as usual, Grandpa."

Iori Hida managed a weak smile before waving to his grandfather. He was fourteen and in his last year at Odaiba Junior High. The boy grabbed an apple from the kitchen table, bowed to his grandpa, and then headed into his room.

It was the normal routine for him. Iori would go to school, come home, talk with his grandpa, study, and then it was back to bed. While the other chosen seemed to bask in the spotlight, Iori tried his best to stay out of it. He didn't want to be involved in it in the first lace. The brunette only went along with it because the others all agreed to it.

When he was with the rest of the chosen, at least in the beginning, it wasn't very bad. But as time passed and fame went to certain people's heads, Iori resented the choice.

He had been incredibly happy when his mother and a few of the other parents placed them all back in school. He was ready to go back to his normal, quiet life.

But people at school refused to leave him alone. Iori was swarmed by all sorts of people from all grades asking him what happened—also mentioning they wanted to be his friends. The young teen would reply in short answers, telling these people very little or not commenting at all.

This pissed the students off. They'd heard many different versions from Miyako and Daisuke but wanted the true version. However, Iori, like Takeru and Hikari, rarely commented.

Because of that, everyone automatically assumed Iori was stuck up and too good for them. Iori didn't have many friends to begin with, and it seemed everyone believed the stories about him that flew around school. Everyone now, rather then pestering him, ignored him. Takeru and Hikari had both left for other schools so he was basically all alone.

He would occasionally run into Noriko in the park, but other than her, he had no one his age to talk with. Everyday the teen would go home and check his e-mails, hoping one of the chosen sent him something.

It was hard being the youngest of the group both then and now. He was always so isolated from the others, and he still was now. Iori was beginning to loose faith and reliability. He would stay home and sulk, wishing none of this had happened to him.

His grandfather was worried about him; Iori wasn't the same reliable boy he used to be. His grades were slipping, and he preferred isolation to community and helping others.

_No new messages…go figure. I wish for just once I would hear from one of the chosen or Gennai. I miss everyone and just wish things would go back to the way they used to…_

* * *

"Did you read that opinion piece in the paper that the Chosen of Despair wrote?" 

"Yeah, he or she had nothing good to say about any of the digidestined, particularly Yamato Ishida."

The teacher walked into the classroom, interrupting the group's discussion. "Quiet down, please. Let's get right to business."

Takeru Takaishi yawned while pulling out his notebook. _So begins another boring day in Japanese history._

Takeru was in one of the high schools in Kyoto, where he and his mother now lived. About one year after the defeat of Malomyotismon, she had been offered a position at the Kyoto paper. It was a fantastic offer and many people including Takeru urged her to accept.

So Natsuko Takaishi did just that.

He had only been back in Odaiba for about five months when he and his mom had to move. The blond drifted away from many of the older chosen—with the exceptions of Taichi, Sora, and his brother—but he'd also faded away from Miyako and Daisuke. They decided to take a different path than he preferred.

The move was not easy. It was a tearful goodbye with all his friends. He really didn't want to leave his home or most especially Hikari. They'd become best friends from their first digital world adventure, but had only recently both admitted there was something more to their relationship. Hikari and Takeru had been casually seeing each other because they knew how hard having a long-distance relationship would be—it was inferred from the strain Yamato and Sora felt—and because of their young age; they decided to go easy.

The two still remained close friends even after they moved. Takeru kept in close contact with his brother, Sora, and Kari. He'd tried e-mailing Taichi, but received no answer. The teen occasionally wrote to Iori just to tell him how things were going, but soon became too busy to worry about it.

As was the case with all the others, fame followed the boy around. He brushed it off easily though. Takeru could care less about the ideal of being "popular". To him, having friends, a good education, and a life full of hope and dreams made everyday worth living.

Hikari would often tease him about his artistic, idealistic philosophy. "Takeru, you would be the perfect writer." She was right on the ball though; writing was something he loved to do and held a passion for.

Things in his life were fine until he started hearing some of the problems the chosen had gotten into. He heard from Hikari how Taichi had left out of the blue, Miyako's own flight to freedom, and Daisuke getting sent to a boarding school to name a few. This upset the blond greatly. These were his friends; people he thought were strong enough to face everything life threw at them.

Apparently, he learned, they weren't.

Soon the boy, upon hearing his brother was packing up to America as well, decided to take some action. He knew from listening to him mother that the paper she worked for featured a daily "letters to the editor" section. He decided it was his turn to write a letter to the paper, the media, and above all the chosen.

The teen wrote a letter, demanding to know why the digidestined were given such treatment when they weren't the only group of destined. He launched off into a history he had learned from Koushiro—the boy had once babysat him and lectured for an hour about the history of the first group of chosen (at least what he knew from Gennai)—but not revealing he himself was a chosen. Needing a penname, the boy finally decided on what that described him but at the same time hid his identity. And he found the perfect one, the exact opposite of how anyone would describe him.

The Chosen of Despair.

Takeru's first letter stirred public interests, and it got passed onto many different sources. A month later, he wrote another letter, this time delving more into the topic of the two adventures he went on. The boy changed his style of writing in each, so if anyone caught onto the fact he was writing it, they would soon doubt it was Takeru. He would send his articles to various papers through e-mail.

The teen had nearly fifteen different accounts, all with different pseudonyms and such to cover his trails. It was a foolproof plan.

Yet there were two people who caught on. One knew it was him for sure, while the other mentioned it casually, not realizing he was onto something.

Yamato read the article in the Miami paper—it had been sent through the wires and soon many papers were carrying it. He phoned his brother to talk, but brought up the information the paper talked about.

"Takeru, have you read this thing by the Chosen of Despair. Whoever is writing this sure knows a lot about us. And they certainly know a lot about me and Taichi. I almost forgot about the fight it mentioned."

The younger blond gulped. "Maybe it's someone like Gennai who found out what kinds of problems we're getting into. Maybe he wanted to send a word of warning out."

Yamato laughed. "The way you talk, little bro, it sounds like you agree with this writer. I don't think things have gotten incessantly bad—well with the exception I have no idea where Taichi took off to, and I never get to see Sora."

"Who knows, Yama. I gotta go."

"Okay, say hi to mom for me."

"Bye." The younger blond abruptly cut him off. He really hadn't had to go. He just couldn't bear lying to his brother or listen to Yamato's conclusions. _And you say we're doing nothing bad, Yama; you abandoned your friends and girlfriend for some record deal._ Takeru didn't know the full story there, only going on his thoughts.

From that point on, Takeru had cut off all communications with Yamato. He was disappointed in his brother and didn't know Yamato's side of the story. The boy continued his articles, getting so into them that his pen name really started applying to him.

_I am the __Chosen__ of Despair. Who would have thought it would come to this._ The teen looked at his latest article. _I can't believe I'm writing these things about my own brother in here. If only we could redo things. Would there be any hope for us? Would I not be mad at Yama? Would we have all stayed together? Would I still get to see Patamon? Would Hikari and I still be friends…_

* * *

Hikari Yagami watched her father shake his head. "What's wrong?" 

"The Chosen of Despair wrote another article. It seems like this person really knew the digidestined."

The girl narrowed her eyes. "Or maybe was a digidestined…" she murmured.

"Did you say something?"

"Yeah, I'm going to go to my room."

Her father smiled. "Okay dear."

The teen slowly walked into her small room. It was completely barren with the exception of a lone picture. The girl walked up to it, and with a tear in her eye, pulled it out of the frame. _I can't believe it's come to this. What happened to our group?_ It was a picture taken a few days after their first interview. They all were there. At that time, no one cared about fame, popularity, or had any troubles.

_Too bad it's still not like that._ Hikari looked over at her bunk bed, the one she and Taichi used to share. _Too bad I have no idea where you are either big brother._ The loss of Taichi had really shook up Hikari. She missed her brother and felt like it was her fault her left. She had failed him. Had she not been a good sister? Had she done something? Said something? She would never know.

Things weren't the same. The bearer of light hated the way things turned out. She rarely heard from the others. School was becoming almost unbearable. Her friendship with Takeru was perhaps unmendable…

It was all because of those dumb letters too.

When the first letter to the editor came out, Hikari instantly knew it was from Takeru. She knew his sense of writing better than even he did. And from her close friendship—and developing relationship—the girl knew what he was doing by changing his writing form.

At first she wasn't bothered by the letters. She understood where he was coming from. Hikari would be the first to tell you she wanted things the way they used to be. But then as the letters continued, she feared the boy was loosing hope and turning into the pseudonym he used.

It was then she confronted him and then their friendship took a turn for the worse.

Hikari, during one of her annual phone calls, casually mentioned the letters. "Yeah, they are a bit odd. Maybe Gennai's writing them."

Hikari rolled her eyes at the excuse, not knowing it was the same one he told Yamato. "Takeru, cut the crap; I know you're the author of the letters."

He was silent for a moment. "So what if I am?"

"Takeru," Hikari didn't know what was happening. This wasn't the Takeru she remembered, "They were fine at first but then…"

"Look, Hika, I'm just telling the world the truth."

"But you're telling things you shouldn't. Some of the stuff you're revealing shouldn't be said."

She could sense him glare through the phone. "That's in the eye of the beholder."

"Takeru, please stop this!"

"No!" he shouted back at her. "I can't believe you don't see my side! I'm trying to get the others to turn around and think about what they're doing."

"By doing it yourself? You're no better off then them."

Her statement was greeted by another bit of silence. "Fine, Hikari, if you don't agree with me…don't bother to read the letters for one, and—d-d-don't," he was struggling to say the words, "d-don't talk to m-me then."

She gasped. "You don't mean that?"

"Yes I do!" he answered a little more confidently before slamming the phone down.

Hikari was in shock. She stared at the phone before bursting into tears. This wasn't the Takeru she remembered. She couldn't believe what happened to him. _He's so bitter and resentful. I wonder what happened. Takeru, I miss you and the others. You're loosing your hope and that's making me loose light. Why can't things be fixed? I wish something would happen to bring everyone back together and have things return to normal. Maybe something like that could happen. I can always wish…_

A/N: Please review! I apologize for the long wait, but I promise "Undercover" will be out soon. There's no school tomorrow—I could be out shopping though—but I bet I'll get some done!


	4. Goin' Nowhere

Rediscovering Destiny

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or the song, "On the Way Down" by Ryan Cabrera.

**_A Hopeless Romantic:_**_ We'll see. There'll be some hints for both couples, though, I promise. Thanks for both reviews…_

**_Inconnu:_**_ I think that's a school in my state, but I'm not too sure. Yeah, whatever happened to sweet, innocent little Takeru?_

**_Crazyamzy:_**_ Where have you been? I haven't heard from you for a long, long time…she might, but probably not…_

**_RW Grimm:_**_ Yep, you tell me what happened to Takeru, I'll tell you if Sora's pregnant. It sounds like a fair trade!_

And thanks to:** _Tari Melwasul, noname, Kuroi Black Nigtingale, money makes me smile, Cherryblossom Sky, sorato-takari, _**and**_ KoumiLoccness_**

Chapter 4: Goin' Nowhere

"This is it, Ken. All systems are ready. It's time to save both worlds, hopefully for the last time."

The teen nodded. "So, what all do I need to do." While Gennai had been prepping Ken forever about the logistics of this mission, he'd never once set out what it was the teen would have to do.

"I have a strong feeling you all will be separated upon arrival to the Digital World. You will somehow—most likely through your digivices—locate everyone and get the group back together. There is strength in numbers, and I'm almost positive you all will need to be together in the end. Put aside your differences as individuals and as a group. Only then will you be successful. I am unable to contact the chosen, with the exception of you. I'll give you instructions along the way, and it will be your job to pass the information along. When you all are together as a unified group, come to my house. It's disillusioned so that you'll only find it if you know where it's at or happen to stumble upon it."

Ken smiled. "Well, I know where it's at."

Gennai nodded. "It's up to you guys. Good luck. Hold up your digivice, Ken…it's time for everyone to come back."

Ken shakily held up the black object. He placed his hand in front of the computer and felt himself get very lightheaded. A huge flash emitted as the computer and digivice made contact. _Here we go…_

* * *

"Hey, Yagami! William's got a keg…there's this huge bash at his place tonight. You up for it?" 

Taichi sighed over the phone as he poured himself a bowl of cereal. "I've got this killer Calc test tomorrow, Grant. Professor says if I don't get a B or higher, I'm failing at midterm."

"Dude, we'll get you home by at least five a.m. What time do you have Calc?"

The brunette snorted. "Eight a.m."

There was silence. "Well, then we'll have you back by four!"

Taichi groaned to himself. _Easy for you to say, Grant. You'll have dropped out of school by the end of the semester. _

Suddenly, Tai began to feel a bit queasy. _What's going on? I really don't feel well at all. _Grant was mumbling something over the phone, but he couldn't hear it.

Taichi dropped the phone, clutching his head in pain. _What's wrong with me? I feel so dizzy. I haven't felt this way since…_

"Yo, Yagami, are you there?"

Silence.

"Yagami? Yagami? Dude, you didn't just hang up on me…"

"Oh, my head! Where am I?" Taichi was lying in a heap on a fresh grassy patch. He rubbed his eyes. _I'm going to go out on a limb and say I'm not in __New York City__ anymore._

His eyes rapidly flashed around. The décor of the area had very much changed. No longer was he surrounded by a mountain of Calculus books. Now there was a huge snow-capped mountain stretching far off into the horizon. No longer did he look out his window, watching the little old lady fertilize her fake flowers. Now there were fresh lilies, daisies, and sunflowers dancing in the sun's rays. No longer was he in the concrete jungle. Now there was a jungle of trees, large and small, vibrant green fields of grass and flowers, and a peaceful serenity New York City could never offer. No longer was he in the real world.

Taichi's disheveled body stood shakily. He grabbed onto a nearby fruit tree to steady himself.

"Easy on the braches!"

The teen jumped back. "Excuse me?"

Taichi's mouth dropped as the supposed tree flashed around. He fell down to the ground in shock. "You look like you've never seen a Cherrymon before."

"Cherrymon?"

The tree glared down at him. "People these days; never respecting their elders. I'm outta here!" The tree started to walk off. "All I wanted to do was get a little sun, enjoy the clam breeze, have a little break—but no! someone goes out of their way to destroy the peace. You're lucky I don't let the Dark One know!"

_What's up his butt? Wait, why am I debating about what a TREE said! Wait…the tree was talking? Am I stoned or something? This is all just a dream. I'll wake up and be home, cramming for the Calc test and talking to Grant. It's just an illusion. _"Ouch!" The boy pinched himself. _I'm still here. Why does this place seem so familiar? It's like I've been here and…wait, did he say Cherrymon?_

BAM!

"Ouch!" Taichi clutched his head in pain. He had been carelessly wandering around, almost in a drunken stupor now that he realized where he was. He'd hit an obstruction, a moving obstruction in fact…

Daisuke Motomiya tumbled onto the grass while he was aimlessly traveling in this mysterious place he'd landed in.

He had absolutely no idea how he got there either. One minute he'd been getting yelled at by the soccer coach, thirty seconds away from getting kicked off the team, and then the next, he was here.

Suddenly he'd gotten really dizzy, shut his eyes, and well, it happened. He'd been transported here. But where exactly was here…

_I know I've been here before. This place is so familiar. It could possibly be __Japan__ or maybe, maybe it's…_

And that's when he ran smack dab into a person from his past.

"Damn, that hurt," Daisuke rubbed his head. _I'm going to have a bruise tomorrow._ "Sorry about that,"

"Don't worry," a vaguely nostalgic voice answered, pulling himself off the ground. "I'm just glad to find another person here. Do you know where we are?" _Though I'm fairly certain I do._

The younger teen looked up at the speaker. He was a bit taller than him with creamy brown eyes and short chocolate hair. Daisuke gasped as he saw a set of very familiar goggles. _I…I bought those goggles for…_ "Ta…Taichi Yagami?"

Taichi, who'd been busy dusting himself off, finally got a good look at the boy. "Do I know…" _Those used to be my goggles…_"Daisuke Motomiya?"

He gave a nervous chuckle. "Last time I checked."

The original bearer of courage stood dumfounded. _Here I am, one minute in __New York__, now here with Daisuke who I haven't seen in a long time._

"How'd we get back here?" They asked at the same time.

Daisuke shook his head. "I never thought I'd see the digital world again."

"You're telling me."

His digivice started to beep. _How'd I get this with me?_ "I have a feeling many of our answers lie here. There's probably some reason we were transported here. If we managed to get here, do you think the others were transported here too?"

_Do I really want to see those I've let down?_ "Who knows. I'd say, according to our digivices, the answer is yes. We should probably check it out." Taichi responded.

The older brunette held out his digivice, and they walked toward two dots that had appeared on the screen. Wanting to break the silence, Daisuke gave a light chuckle. "It's been a long time,"

"Yeah…"

"So where'd you go, Taichi? Why'd you leave?"

Taichi glared at the boy. "That's none of your business."

_Is this really Taichi talking? _The older teen began walking faster, eliciting a sigh from Daisuke. _Well, he's in a great mood. This journey's going to be fun…_

* * *

"You must not fall asleep. Boss is counting on you," Koushiro mumbled over and over again to himself, pouring his umpteenth cup of coffee. 

The teen took a drink of the hot bitter liquid before hurrying over to his office space. _I've got like thirty more minutes before he checks up on me. I've got to make some sort of progress or else I'm finished. _

Koushiro's fingers flew across the keyboard. He furiously typed the algorithms into the computer, eyes glued ahead. His head was spinning; the numbers grew blurry at the speed he was typing. But something strange was going on.

_Am I just hallucinating because I'm tired and going so fast?_ Koushiro stopped. The second he typed a command or inputted some data, the previous things would vanish. "What the…"

A large white flash jumped out of the computer, washing around the room and enveloped Koushiro.

When he awoke, the teen had to blink at the bright sunlight around him. _Where am I?_ _This definitely doesn't look like my desk back in __Paris_

He stood up and glanced around, unsure of the scenery surrounding him. The land he was standing on was parched and arid, a barren desert. _Yep, this is not __Paris._ Koushiro was standing on the edge of a cliff, sand all around him. He looked straight ahead. The sand continued on for miles upon miles into the distance, and there was no sign of intelligent life anywhere. _Great, I'm out in the middle of nowhere…_

Turning to his left, the teen gasped. _…in…in…the digital world!_ There was no mistaking the site before him, but even without it being there, things were starting to fall into place.

_I assume I got pulled in through the computer. That would explain the bright light and all the mishaps with the computer system. Something's going on here; there's no other way I could have been brought back here._

Koushiro dug through his pockets, surprised to find his digivice inside. _I wonder how this got in here. _

The teen turned his attention back to the lone landmark. It looked the same as it used to be. Age had taken its toll on the large monstrosity before him, but it was still very recognizable. The Digimon Emperor's old base…

Ken rubbed his eyes. _And Gennai didn't choose to tell me about the rough landing because..._ The teen rose to his feet, dusting his clothes off from the layer of filth and grime now coating him.

His eyes studied the area around him. There was a large amount of shot computer equipment covered in dust, all with huge holes through the screens. It appeared this place hadn't been touched in at least five years. This place seemed to be subject to a huge explosion. One look at the computers was enough proof for Ken as to where he had landed. _Talk about irony._

Ken distantly recalled where the door was. He turned around; walking in the direction he was fairly certain it was located at. Fifteen minutes later, twenty some bruises on his leg from bumping into things, as well, he was there. Bad memories came to his head just from walking through the aisles, and he wanted nothing more than to get out of there. When he caught sight of the exit, the boy sprinted to it, and upon reaching it, forced the door open. He immediately shut his eyes from the sunlight, gradually opening them.

_Too bad the place where our makeshift base is at couldn't be like this. It's always dark there, and the Dark One has spies everywhere._ Ken looked around the area. The remote desert seemed infinite. He glanced next to him, spotting a cliff and a familiar person.

Though it had been a few years since he'd last seen or heard from him, Ken immediately knew who it was. He jumped up onto the cliff with ease, approaching the copper headed boy swiftly and silently. "Prodigious! Somehow I have my laptop! This is great. Maybe I can contact Gennai!"

_It does not surprise me that Koushiro picked up that fast._

The teen had sat down on the ground, right behind the redhead who was eagerly pulling his laptop out of the book bag he'd found it in. "Wait, this isn't my normal computer. This…this is the one I had here years ago."

"We're not too sure why it allowed everyone to bring something from their past, but we're assuming it's going to help us."

Koushiro turned around and nearly dropped his yellow laptop in shock. He blinked furiously, eyes studying the new arrival. "Ken? Ken, is that you?"

"It's nice to see you again too, Koushiro."

The teen's mouth dropped open. "I'm really glad to see you! Do you have answers to all this?"

Ken patiently waited for the genius to stop rambling on. "That depends; do you have some answers for me?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Why didn't you leave the company you work for right away when you knew what they wanted you to do? Why didn't you come to one of us for help when your boss threatened you at gunpoint? Why did you forget all your friends?"

Koushiro's mouth dropped. Ken sat before him, calm as ever, as if this was something he could talk about any day. "How…how did you know about that?"

Silence.

"That's not the only thing I know either, Koushiro. Would you believe that e-mail virus you created for your boss seemingly is the reason Yamato and Sora have lost touch and are having problems?"

"Ken…Ken how do you know all this? What's going on?"

The teen sighed. "To find that out, we're going to have to get everyone back together and reexamine our past."

Koushiro was confused, something that rarely happened. _I feel so guilty. How does he know so much about what's going on with me? Why is he so calm? _The boy's digivice began to beep.

"There are others near us. We need to find them before the Dark One does. Let's go,"

The teen watched as Ken stood up, and he followed him. _I need answers. And it seems you have them, Ken…_

* * *

Yamato drug his tired body out of the shower, wrapping a large robe around himself and heading back into his room. He walked over to his walk-in closet and turned on the light. _Not like it really matters what I wear. The stylist will force me to change clothes anyway. _

"In more exciting news, TheWolves will be performing on Friday night at what appears to be the biggest concert Miami will ever see. I'm giving away two front row seats and backstage passes if you ladies can call in and tell me why you love Matt Ishida."

The blond groaned from the closet. _Damn promotional gig. _Yamato was sick and tired of the music industry. _I need a vacation away from everyone and everything._ He randomly selected a shirt to go with the jeans he'd already put on.

"Caller number one; why do you love Matt Ishida?"

"He's SO dreamy! His golden hair and ocean blue eyes make me swoon in delight. His rich voice brings me to tears of happiness every time I hear it…"

"Caller number two; why do you love Matt Ishida?"

"I know EVERYTHING about Matt! He wears a beaded necklace his little brother gave him for his fifteen birthday, his parents divorced when he was six years old, and he was cursed into a life of…"

_She sounds like a stalker. Just listening to these girls is making my head spin._ Yamato had to sit down on the bed to keep from falling over. _What's going on?_

"Well, I love Matt Ishida because he has very nice…assets, if you get my drift."

Those were the things he hated more than anything else; the people who worshiped him for his body and looks. Under normal circumstances, Yamato would have turned off the radio. But…Yamato was no longer there.

The blond cracked his back and sat up. _What just happened? This isn't my condo. Something strange is going on._ He looked around him and found himself in a…diner.

"How exactly did I get here?"

_Great, now I'm talking to myself._ "Hello? Is anyone here? Yutaka? Akira? Takashi?" _Maybe this is where we're shooting our next video._

The teen stood up and began to stroll through this strange place he found himself in. _This definitely isn't one of the cleanliest places I've ever been in my life. Whoever owns this better hope health inspectors never stop here._ Yamato glanced from booth to booth. There was no one in the restaurant, and it appeared no one had been there for quite some time.

_Why does this place look so familiar?_ The rock star decided to head back into the kitchen. _Maybe there's some food. I'm famished; I haven't eaten anything for a long time. _He pushed open the swinging doors and gasped. _It…it can't be. I'll never forget what that kitchen looked like,_ _Digitamamon's diner…_

The blond stood in shock. _How did I get back to the digital world? I thought it was virtually impossible. Why did I get brought back here? Are the…_

CRASH!

Yamato looked up, hearing a sound coming from outside. He slowly crept towards the source of the commotion…

"I'm taking my break," Sora had told her boss, sick and tired of his comments about what had just been shown on the television.

"Suit yourself. But you'd better be back here in fifteen minutes. That's when the rush will come in."

The girl rolled her ruby orbs. "Yeah, whatever. I'll be back."

She took of the hideous brown apron she was forced to wear and headed to the girl's bathroom. Sora stared at the mirror in front of her, holding her head in her hand. _Why can't I just tell him I quit? This job sucks._

Two girls, most likely in their early twenties, walked in, ignoring the girl standing by the mirror. "So did you, like, hear? Yamato Ishida has supposedly got this HUGE surprise for his concert on Friday night."

"Oh my God, yeah, I heard that!" The other girl shrieked, putting on more bright pink lipstick. "I like wonder what it is."

"I wish I could be there."

"Me too, unfortunately tickets are all sold out."

Her friend sighed. "That totally sucks. Maybe we'll be able to go to one of his concerts if he ever comes back here."

They walked out of the bathroom as fast as they had come in. _Is the whole world trying to torture me about Yamato?_ She looked down at her stomach. _This is ridiculous; why is it everywhere I go, he gets brought up even if no one knows who I am._

She looked into the mirror and held a hand to her head again, this time in pain. _What's going on? I felt fine a minute before._

"There it is; I knew I left it in here."

"Where'd that chick go?"

"She probably left when we were getting a drink from the water fountain…"

Sora opened her eyes, unsure of where she was. Her eyes danced around, taking in the sights before her. _Okay, this doesn't look like the bar or bathroom. How did I magically get from there to here?_

She forced her body up off the ground, where she had landed in a heap. The girl spun around. _This definitely is not my home or anywhere remotely near here._

The land was dusty and looked forgotten. There was trash all over the place, and it appeared no one had been there for quite awhile. _Maybe there are some remnants that will tell me where I am. And maybe I'll be able to figure out how I got here._

Sora reached a hand up to brush a crimson bang out of her eye but found something on her head. She pulled it off and felt her knees buckle. _My…my hat. I haven't worn this since…since the digital world._

The girl looked around her, and her mind's eye could picture this place back when it had prospered and been inhabited. She spotted a table with a bunch of crates around it. Walking over to it, seeing the spoiled, rotten potatoes, the girl fainted with a crash.

Yamato crept out of the building, looking for this sound. _Maybe it was just a mouse, a very large mouse, maybe even a digital mouse…_ He searched around and was rewarded with a glimpse of red. _That sticks out compared to the dull background._

It was a person. The teen sprinted over to where the person was laying and began to shake her. Her eyes flashed open, and when dark cobalt met inferno red, the two let out a scream.

"AHHHHHHH!"

"AHHHHHHH!"

Sora sat straight up, hitting her head against Yamato's. They looked at each other, both reaching their hands up to see if the other was real. She blinked. He blinked. Their hands met each others, skin brushing up against the others, as if proving it wasn't an illusion.

Though he was fairly certain he wasn't dreaming, the blond wanted to be absolutely positive. He reached his face down to her and captured her lips, applying pressure to the kiss. Sora instantly melted, unable to think straight. She latched her arms around his neck, pulling them closer together. But the realization struck her as they both let out a moan of contentment. Her eyes opened, and she pushed him away from her.

"Sora?"

"Y..Yamato?"

"How did we get here?" He asked, standing up, coming closer to her.

She stood up as well but backed as far away from him as she could. "I don't know."

"Sora? Baby, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? What's wrong, Yamato? What's wrong is that I haven't heard a single word from you since I last saw you four months ago."

His eyes narrowed. "I haven't heard from you either, so don't go blaming me for it."

"Did you think I didn't try?"

"Well did you think I didn't try? I e-mailed you all the time, but every single one bounced back. You never answered your phone, never responded to any of my letters."

"Letters? I never got any letters. I called you all the time and someone would answer, promising to leave a message with you but I NEVER heard from you at all."

Yamato took a deep breath. _Apparently our communication got lost in translation._ "Sora, let's both just calm down. Take a deep breath and…"

"Why should I take a deep breath, Yama. I needed you and I couldn't reach you!"

"Damn it, Sora. Did you think that I didn't need you? Do you know how many times I couldn't sleep because all I could think about was you? Do you know how many songs I wrote with you as the subject? Do you…"

He was cut off by a beeping sound. They both reached into their pockets and pulled out their digivices. "How did we get these?"

Yamato shook his head, reaching into his pocket once more as he felt another lump. He gasped. It was his harmonica.

Sora looked down at the device, seeing two dots and deciding she did not want to be alone with Yamato right now.

"Sor, where are you going?"

"Where does it look like I'm going? I'm off to find the others, and someone who cares about me."

That comment hit Yamato hard. "Did you ever doubt how much I care about you and love you?"

"Yes!" she yelled back, knowing there was no one around them and not afraid at all to be loud. "Do you know why you couldn't contact me? A virus ravished my e-mail account. My cell phone died, and I had to get a new one. Because of the block you have on your things, I couldn't reach you and let you know my new addresses. I never got any messages you left with other people, if you even thought to do this. I don't live in the same place I do anymore because…" she fought back the tears, "Mama and Papa were killed in a fire. I'm on my own now. You don't have my new address, and any mail for you is automatically dubbed fan mail. I would've gotten a forged fake signature if I tried to write you."

The blond softened his glare and stepped forward to embrace her. "Sor, I'm so sorry. If I would have known…"

"That's it, Yama! You didn't bother to find out. You could've called someone else and found out these things, but you didn't! It's virtually impossible to contact you, but it would've been easy for you to reach me. You weren't there for some of the hardest times in my life when I needed you more than anything."

"I understand, but…"

"No, I don't think you do, Yamato. My parents dying was bad enough, but I faced something even worse. Tell me, how would the media like to know that Yamato Ishida's girlfriend happened to be late on her period a few weeks after they slept together…"

His eyes widened from her comment. _Oh God…_

A/N: Please review! Undercover will be out before Easter, hopefully, should I not be dead from the start of soccer practice…please review!


	5. Waiting, Suffocating, No Direction

Rediscovering Destiny

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon and the song "On the Way Down" by Ryan Cabrera are not mine!

A/N: I'm so incredibly tired…this would've been up sooner, but it was prom this weekend and I got back home at 5 a.m. (after prom was a blast!) and after enjoying sleep, taking a college visit, and saying goodbye to some relatives, I finally got a chance to type this. Please R&R!

**_Cherryblossom Sky:_**_ Yes, Tai did finally cut his hair. And you'll have to wait another chapter to find out if Sora's pregnant!_

**_Crazyamzy:_**_ Refer to chapter 2…_

**_Kuroi Black Nightingale:_**_ They're civil; the best they can be given the situation they find themselves in…read on…_

**_Teehee:_**_ Yeah, I realized after I typed that they'd be important, I'd have to figure out why…but I think I've got it now…_

**_Windedlove:_**_ Finding time to update's a problem. I'm not dead from soccer, though. I've been playing for eleven years so it's always a fun time of the year, especially games. Crap, I have a game tomorrow night…_

And thanks to:** _money makes me smile, Mrs. Ishida-to-you, stubblyanimal, James Daivies, sorato-takari, SoraKoi the Water Goddess, RW Grimm, Blondie121147, Inconnu, _**and**_ KoumiLoccness. _**

Chapter 5: Waiting, Suffocating, No Direction…

"Do you see anyone in there?"

"No, it's just an empty cave."

"I guess the Dark One was wrong about his tip." The Bakemon turned to his comrade. "But I'd never tell him that to his face. Let's get outta here."

The two flew off into the dark distance. A fourth of a mile a way. Now one half. Three fourths. Finally out of range.

Gennai slouched back on the rock he'd been sitting on, wiping his damp forehead off with a red handkerchief. _That was a close call._

The digital being hit the button on the computer that dismantled the concealment feature. His computer was up and running as it had been when the scanner went off, alerting him that there was danger on the horizon.

He sat down in front of the machine, trying his best once again to locate the chosen children. _There's Taichi and Daisuke. They're located about five miles northwest of…Sora and Yamato. I wonder how that situation is fairing. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some feelings of tension between the two. And…wow, Koushiro and Ken are within a two mile radius, landing just south of them. Hopefully their digivices will lead them all to each other._

He saw six lights appear as fast as a blink of an eye. _They weren't there the last time I checked. But I guest the other six have arrived as well. Here's the coordinates of the first pair…_

* * *

"Mimi, wrap it up! You're break is over."

The pink-haired celebrity rolled her eyes. "I'm in the bathroom. Give me another few minutes."

"We don't have that kind of time, darling. I'll give you one minute tops. We're already six and a half minutes behind schedule."

Mimi let her body fall limber, laying down on the recliner inside her dressing room. _She does this everyday. I hate how every minute of my life is planned out to the millisecond. My life's not going to come to an end if I stop and smell the roses._

"Thirty seconds," Her assistant called out. "Honestly, Mimi, if you showed a bit more dedication to everything like you originally did, we'd be done sooner…"

It was the same talk she always got, once, twice, sometimes even three times daily. _If I could only have a break, a vacation from all the distractions in my life._

"…it'd be so much easier on you. Then you could buy a beach house down in Cancun and have some much needed R and R. How's that sound, Meems?"

There was no answer.

"Ouch! What just happened?"

Mimi stood up, brushing the soot and grime of her leopard print skirt. _It's going to cost me a fortune to get this dry cleaned. Whoa, where am I? Last thing I knew, I was in my dressing room at the studio, and now, well, now I have absolutely no idea._

The young woman studied her surroundings, finding them to be a bit foreign but at the same time nostalgic. To her left was an incredibly large field, isolated and desolate. In front of her, probably a mile at the most, lay a cliff Mimi assumed didn't lead to anywhere she wanted to see.

Turning to her right, she fell over in shock. _There's no possible way! There's only one place on Earth that looks like this—wait, it's not even on Earth!_

It was the Geckomon palace and castle she had once gotten lost in—both physically and emotionally—and ventured to. However, it seemed she'd gotten lost once more and wandered to it again.

_How did I get back here? I thought it'd be impossible to. And why was I brought here? And what about the others? What do they think about me? Maybe someone's inside, and that's why I was brought here. Maybe it's Sora!_

Mimi dashed inside as fast as should could in the painfully large heals she had chosen to wear today. _I didn't anticipate running. But then again I can't say I thought I'd end up in the digiworld either._

Sora. The prospect of seeing her or anyone from the set of Japanese destined both excited and scared her. Quite honestly, while a bit of her hoped to see everyone, Mimi wished more than anything the person, if there was one inside, was the redhead.

_She set me straight once before in this very place. Maybe she'll be here to do it again._

The girl made her way through the castle, finding the dusty staircase that led to the room she'd stayed in. She longed to see Sora, to see how life had treated her, to hear what was going on with her, and to know if her relationship with Yamato was still in existence.

Yamato had been the only chosen Mimi had seen since the group split. They'd been at the same after-awards party a couple of years ago. Although she recognized him immediately—and was fairly certain he spotted her—the actress was too scared to approach him. They'd never really talked much over the years even when the chosen were all together. Their friendship hadn't been as strong as the others, but Mimi still considered him a friend.

_I think the longest conversation I've ever held with him came when he called me that once._

**Flashback**

"Mimi, there's a message for you on the machine! I'm heading out to the gym."

"Okay, Daddy!" the girl called back. She hustled up to her room, tossing her bags full of new merchandise onto the floor, anxious to hear who the message was from. "I bet it's Trevor. He did tell me he'd call sometime today. And considering there's no school because of the weather..."

Mimi pushed the button on the machine, but the voice that greeted her was not the male voice she expected. "Hey, Mimi…it's Yamato Ishida. Could you…give me a call back? Uh…thanks."

_Why would Yamato be calling me? We're really not that close of friends. Maybe something's happened._ She dialed up the number, forgetting the fact it was a long-distance phone call.

"Hello?"

"Yamato, it's Mimi."

Silence. "Oh, hey Mimi. Thanks…thanks for calling me back."

He sounded nervous and unsure, two traits Mimi had never really associated with the blond. "Why are you calling? Has something happened in the digital world?"

She heard a door shut in the background, assuming he wanted some privacy from whomever happened to be in the apartment with him. "No, nothing's wrong in the digiworld."

"Then why are you calling?" Silence. "Yamato?"

"I need some advice, Mimi."

"About what?" She was a bit confused. Typically, the others turned to one of the other chosen—usually Koushiro or Sora—when in need of a listening ear. "I'm not the best person at advice."

He was silent again, trepidation evident in the air. "Sora,"

Mimi hadn't been expecting that answer at all. "What about Sora?" He paused yet again, and the girl was beginning to grow agitated. "Yamato?"

"I think I feel something more for her than friendship…"

**End Flashback**

Mimi pushed the door open. A silhouette could be seen just around the bed. Mimi approached and gasped upon recognizing the person. But it wasn't Sora…

_Deep breath, Miyako. You can do this. Kathy, I quit. Kathy, I'm ready to take my leave of absence. Kathy, I hate your filthy guts!_

The teen had been standing in front of her boss's door for the past ten minutes, attempting to muster up the courage to quit. As much as Miyako wanted to be around that kind of business, she'd grown to hate it.

_I have a feeling I wasn't destined for this._ The girl had begun straying from the door, hiding a bit in the shadows. _Miyako, you used to be the chosen with the digimentals of sincerity and love—there's no reason you can't tell the truth now._

With her resolve gaining a bit of strength from her pep talk, Miyako headed back to the door, hand positioned to knock. At the same time, Kathy came barreling out the door, cell phone in one hand, and lighted cigarette in the other.

She would have run straight into Miyako. Only Miyako wasn't there…

"What's going on?" The lavender-haired girl stood. She was no longer standing in a bustling apartment complex. The office cubicles were replaced with dressers and shelves, and a huge canopy bed was stationed before her.

_Am I just dreaming? This place seems familiar in an odd way. I know I've never been here, but something tells me someone I know has or there's something here I'm connected to._

She walked through the dusty old room that appeared to have not been used for awhile. The girl took in all the sights, finally heading back to the bed when she heard the creak of the wooden door.

The door opened, and a figure walked in. She heard a gasp "M…Miyako? Is that you?"

The teen glanced at the new arrival, at first unsure of who she was. This woman was dressed as if she had money, but the pink cowboy hat she wielded didn't seem to go with the outfit or her persona. Miyako realized who it was, though, upon seeing the hair.

"Mimi?"

"How are you? I haven't seen you forever! You look so great! You got your hat back? I thought you hated it…it goes so well with your look though; I think it's cute." Mimi rambled off before blushing crimson. "I'm sorry, Miyako. I'm just relieved to find someone else here."

Miyako gasped, looking into the cracked mirror on the wall to check her reflection. _My old hat…but the only time I ever wore this was in…the digital world…_ A beeping noise interrupted her thoughts. She nearly fainted as she pulled the noisemaker out of her pocket. Her D3.

Mimi was in shock too, as from her purse came her own digivice. "I wonder how we got back here. We should go find the others."

"Yeah," The younger girl answered half-heartedly. Miyako wasn't sure how to react about either new development, but really wasn't sure if she should be angry at Mimi or feel guilty about the rumor she started.

"So, how have you been?"

The girl made up her mind, storming away, avoiding the hug Mimi attempted to give her. The actress rushed out the room after her. _Is she mad at me?_

* * *

"I'll have a BLT on rye. Hold the mayo but extra lettuce."

"Sure thing," With a nod of his head, Jyou wrote the order down, turning to head for the kitchen.

"Mister, I ordered a hamburger twenty minutes ago! How freaking long does it take to get a piece of meat with a bun ready?"

The blue-haired man offered an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, sir. I'll get right…"

CRASH!

"Why me?"

"KIDO!" His boss came rushing forward like a freight train. "Do you know how to walk?"

He flushed cherry red. "Yeah," Jyou managed to mumble as he picked the plate of onion rings off the floor. The by-standers and diners—all of whom immediately turned his direction upon hearing the impact—went back to their respective activities.

"Kido, go fill up these water pitchers. That will keep you out of trouble. Hopefully." The manager scathingly barked. Taking the crystalline objects, one in each hand, the young man stood, praying he wouldn't drop them.

Jyou successfully reached the back amidst the snickers of his co-workers. He head to the far end of the kitchen, solitude extending its welcoming grip.

_This blows! I'm normally not this sloppy and carefree. I just…oh, thank goodness!_

Breaking fine dinnerware wouldn't have appeased the slave driver outside. He miraculously caught the falling glass, managing to set it down on the table.

His knees gave way, and Jyou lunged forward to protect the other crystal pitcher. _What the…_

It safely found the sanctuary of the countertop in one piece after spinning around two times. But Jyou wasn't there to celebrate…

Rubbing his head, the man stood up. _Please say I didn't just drop that pitcher. I can't afford to lose any of my wages the way it is._ Jyou opened his eyes to see a dark oasis surrounding him. _Wait, it was bright inside the coffee house. Did I fall and bump my head?_

The coffee house had disappeared, replaced by enormous brown caverns and walls of what seemed to be a cave. _How exactly did I get here?_ Jyou examined the walls. The apparent cave was circular with a large mesa in the center area. A huge stone sphere lay in the middle of the mesa, a bit cracked around the edges as if the test of time had not offered the best results.

Claustrophobia began to kick in. Jyou took a deep breath, senses acute to these feelings. _Okay Jyou. Just breathe deeply. _He tried, but the panic was setting in more than usual. He gathered that was a probably a result of being in an unknown place with no idea of how he'd arrived.

_If only I had my medical kit here with me. It would make things so much easier and…_

CLUNK!

Jyou hit the ground in surprise…

Iori typed his password into the computer for the tenth time since he'd gotten home. _Maybe there's something._ The e-mail program launched up but didn't provide him with his anticipated answer.

He sighed, logging out of the internet, choosing to now go lay on his bed. It was like this everyday. _Why did I expect today to be any different? Things aren't going to inexplicably change. Why was I even hoping to be optimistic? There's nothing left to be optimistic about anymore anyway. The others have completely forgotten about me. They could care less if I'm okay._

Iori's attention turned back to his computer. _May as well shut it off._ He went through the normal procedures, but nothing happened. The boy tried turning the power off, but…the computer remained on? _What's going on?_

There was a knock on his door. "Iori, could you possibly run down to the Inoue's store and pick up some more prune juice? I'm out, and I have this craving…"

The boy only heard the first part. A huge flash of light captured his mind instead.

"Iori? Iori?..."

"Huh?" The young teen yawned, glancing around him. "What just happened? Grandpa? Grandpa, are you here?" He paused, standing up and looking around. "Wait…where am I?"

He was in an enclosed area, more compact then his room at home because he was no longer surrounded by four walls. The boy's eyes wandered from place to place in hope that he'd find someway out of this mysterious location.

_I have no idea where I am. But…there is something remotely familiar about this place. The only time I've ever been in a cave is in the digital world and then…_ The realization hit him. _Could I be back in the digital world?_

Iori's musings were interrupted by a loud noise. He turned to his right, sensing the sound echo from that direction. Taking a step, the teen decided to investigate. "Ouch,"

After he got up off the floor.

Iori looked at what he'd tripped on. "My…my kendo stick? How did that get here? I haven't practiced kendo in a long, long time."

He was getting a stronger feeling of uneasiness as he moved down the path that he hoped led to the strange noise. _This has to be the digiworld. There's no other explanation. That would explain why my computer wouldn't turn off…_

Turning the jutting corner, trying to stay on the meandering path the best he could, Iori stopped in shock at the sight before him. "This is where one of the Destiny Stone's was located. Angemon digivolved to mega here…"

He glanced around, searching for the ambiguous sound he'd heard. And then he saw it.

Iori dashed over to the fallen man, knowing who it was from the blue-hair. "Jyou? Jyou, wake up."

"Franklin D. Roosevelt said 'The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,' during the American Great Depression, professor."

The boy gave a puzzled look. _Apparently he thinks this is class._ "Jyou, come on Jyou. You're not in class."

He shot straight up, head in his hands. "That was a rough landing. Where am…Iori?"

Giving a nervous chuckle, Iori forced a smile. "That's me."

"How…what…this…we're…" Jyou paused. "I'm completely and totally confused."

"You and me both," Iori looked around. "But I'm fairly certain we're in the digital world."

The college student agreed with a nod. "I came to that conclusion as well when I saw this."

Jyou's blue medical bag hug limp at the side of his body. Iori had heard stories of how that had helped Taichi and the others in the digital world the first time.

"Do you think the others are here?"

A beeping sound interrupted the conversation. Reaching into his pocket, Jyou offered him a weak smile. "I'm going to answer yes to that question as well."

Iori pulled out his D3. "We may as well head to the others."

"Yep," The blue-haired man stood up, starting to walk at a brisk pace, forgetting the teen behind him couldn't keep up with such a fast stride.

"Jyou! Jyou, can you slow down?"

"Huh?" He turned around to see Iori panting to keep up. "Oh, yeah. Sorry about that."

He started walking again, seemingly forgetting what he'd just said. Iori shook his head, sprinting to keep up. _Am I invisible to him too?_

* * *

"Class, I've graded your tests, and they turned out decently. I hoped they'd be better, but this is the way cookie crumbled."

Takeru nearly hit his head on his desk. _This is so boring. Hand back the tests already. You do this every time we have a test._ He looked at the clock. _Five more minutes and then I can leave._

"I gave you all a four extra points instead of curving the tests, and one lucky individual got two extra points on his essay."

All heads immediately turned in Takeru's direction. "Yep, it was indeed Takeru. If you don't mind, I'm going to read some of what he wrote. Listen to the beautifully scripted syntax…"

_Shut-up already. You don't have to read my essays every freaking time. I wasn't even trying on this. I could care less about this type of writing; the thing that really matters to me is my __Chosen__ of Despair pseudonym and columns._

Resting his head against his desk, the blond suddenly felt really sleepy. _What's going on? I got plenty of sleep last period and…_

He began to cough, first just a bit, then more, then more, finally…

"Takeru, would you like to go get a drink?"

"Yes, sir."

The teacher smiled. "Okay, meanwhile, listen to this parallel structure!"

Takeru escaped the classroom, still coughing. He headed over to the nearest drinking fountain, but the second he put his mouth down to receive the flow of water…there was none…

The coughing had subsided along with the exhausted feelings, but both had been replaced by some pain. _Where am I? And why am I on the ground?_

The teen forced his weary body up, trying to determine why he wasn't standing at the water fountain, prepared to refresh his parched throat. Darkness enveloped him. Sheer darkness. Takeru could barely see two feet in front of him.

_What's going on?_ He blindly took a few steps east, squinting, trying to make out some form of light. It was less dense in that direction; his feet continued to carry him to what looked like a better area.

It was as if the dark was a blanket, covering the whole entire land around him. But at the same time, this blanket consisted of a few holes, yet to be patched, letting a bit of light and energy seep through.

A good time later, Takeru collapsed on the ground, finally able to see himself. It was obvious the land on this side of…wherever…was much lighter. He could see things in an almost sepia tone from where he was standing. If he chose to move—which he had to laugh at; the thought of doing it was ludicrous—he could venture northeast, east, or southeast and continue to see. It appeared that just that area was cloaked in darkness.

Now that he'd regained his sense of sight, Takeru studied the area. It was looking familiar. Too familiar. Not the kind of familiar he ever wanted to see again.

There was the cliff. And a long cave stretching out into the beached area. And…it confirmed his fears.

There was the ocean.

_How'd I get back here? I…I thought it was impossible._ Takeru aimlessly headed southeast, as far away from the ocean as possible.

CRASH!...

Hikari heard the door shut. _I guess Dad headed back to work._ She wandered off into the kitchen in search of something to eat. She didn't need anything large, just something to fill the hole in her stomach. Though she knew it was a hole not caused by hunger pains. Rather, it was a hole caused by the digidestined, namely Takeru.

She sifted through the cabinets, finally settling on some crackers. The girl headed over to the television and flipped it on, hoping something would brighten her mood. But given some of the trash that appeared in the box, she wasn't expecting much.

Sleep sounded like the best option. Hikari tried to make herself comfortable on the loveseat but couldn't sit still. She could hear the tick of the clock in background, trying to soothe her to sleep.

_Maybe if I just close my eyes and count backwards from ten I'll be able to sleep. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one…_

Darkness overwhelmed her senses. Her body temperature dropped as well, sending the girl into a fit of shivers. She could feel goose bumps rise on her body, spreading as fast as wildfire. _Am I having a nightmare?_

Hikari forced her eyes open, not believing the sight, or lack of one, before her.

It was an abyss of pure darkness. There was no color around her, and she couldn't even see her own hand. She started to shake violently. _This brings back horrible memories of the __Dark__Ocean_

Hikari turned a full one hundred and eighty degrees, praying there was some light source around her. Darkness, only darkness.

The girl could make out a bit of a lighter area to her west. Not wanting to be consumed anymore by the lack of light, the girl moved that direction as fast as her legs would carry her.

As she walked further west, she could begin to see herself and make sure she hit nothing. Her new place of residence appeared as quickly as her body. _A beach. Feelings of pathos in the air. Pitch black all around me. The waves of an ocean crashing against the shore. I'm…how did I get here? This has to be a bad dream._

She began to head northwest, trying to distance herself from the chaos, hoping an exit was in sight. _It's impossible to get back here. There's no way, and I…_

"Ouch!"

Hikari began to fall, caught from hitting the ground by a pair of arms. "Thank you," She timidly replied. _Please don't be one of the __Dark__Ocean__'s creatures._

"It's no…" _Another human._ "Are you okay?"

Their eyes met. Silence became as bountiful as the darkness.

"Is it really you?"

"Are you just an illusion?"

"How did we get here?" They chanted together.

Hikari avoided his eyes, clearly not wanting to be in this area particularly with his presence. _Even though he did save me from here once._

"Were we supposed to be transported to the digital world?" Takeru finally broke the blanket of silence.

The girl shrugged. "Maybe." She looked down at her feet, attempting to avoid his gaze. "My camera? How did that…your bucket hat." Her gaze returned to his face.

Takeru felt his head, surprised to find his old hat residing on it. "Something strange is going on."

They both saw two flashes of light, one pink and one yellow, each coming from their pockets. The two pulled out their D3's, which for the time being, along with pointing out there were other destined around, served as flashlights.

Hikari pointed hers straight ahead, and it slowly began to break down the darkness. "Look, there's a rift over there. I bet it separates this from the digiworld."

She was doing her best to be civil to him. Takeru could infer it from her tone of voice. "Let's go…"

They walked in silence, each one thinking the same thing. _I really hope we find the others…I don't know if I can stay here with him/her for much longer…_

A/N: Next chapter marks the group reunions. Everyone's items will come into play as we go. Please review!


	6. I Took a Dive

Rediscovering Destiny

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon and "On the Way Down" by Ryan Cabrera aren't mine!

**_Kuroi Black Nightingale:_**_ Well, not whole group reunion. But rest assured that is coming very soon…_

**_Sorato-takari:_**_ Glad to know you're interested!_

**_Curtis Zidane Ziraa:_**_ The whole "missing" thing will be revealed when the entire group is back together…_

**_Saturnangel:_**_ Thanks!_

**_Calare:_**_ Drama, drama, and more drama. I really wasn't sure what genres to put this under. You could say it's a little bit of everything!_

**_A Hopeless Romantic:_**_ There's a bit of significance in the groups in which everyone arrived. Iori and Jyou go together because they're a bit alike. Both weren't considered the strongest or most powerful of the group, but the team couldn't function without them. Be prepared for some subtle michi hints this chapter._

**_Money makes me smile:_**_ Glad you like it!_

**_KoumiLoccness:_**_ Thanks, and happy early/belated birthday; you mentioned it was your birthday sometime soon in one of your reviews for my other fics._

Chapter 6: I Took a Dive

Darkness plagued the land. There was no escaping its grasp. Once the opaque nothingness menacingly caught you, you were stuck. There was no refuge.

Areas known for their light had fallen, fallen quite quickly. Trepidation and fear were common. Conformity of the weak lingered. Evil was winning.

And he was smiling.

"Master," Two of his half-witted servants entered the fortified palace. "We found nothing."

His steel gray eyes flashed dangerously. "Were you not informed of the consequences should you find nothing?"

He could smell their fear. It was a distinguishable element in both humans and digital creatures. Fear was his nourishment. Fear made his powers stronger. Fear fed his soul.

"Y…yes, we were, oh Dark One. B…but we did receive some in...information you may want to hear."

"What would that be?" His bored tone was meant to offend the Bakemon. But the digimon, knowing the provoking statement was set as bait, managed to hold his mouth shut.

"Sector twelve has reported signs of human activity."

The Dark One gave a haughty laugh. "That's old news. I've known that for ages. Did you think I didn't know Gennai would give into temptation? Did you think that old fool would not turn to desperate measures?"

"Hope and Light have been spotted in sector eight." The first Bakemon responded, hoping to redeem himself. "Do you want us to bring them here?"

"Hope and Light don't matter to me anymore. The digidestined are in disarray. They have fallen apart. Their choices allowed me to gain the control I so rightly deserved. Their choices saved me from my banishment. Their choice led to their downfall. Human pride and ego will keep them from reuniting. And if they are unable to discover their traits, they are of no threat to me. However, if by some lucky chance that should happen, I would take out Love and Friendship first."

"Why them, Oh Prince of Darkness?"

"Friendship and Love are the glue that holds them together. Without friendship, they cannot begin to find their scattered crests and mend their differences with each other. And without love, their digimon partners will remain forever locked in the abyss of chaos. Love is a powerfully destructive trait that these humans are lacking, and I intend for it to remain that way."

An evil glint filled his eyes as he became bored discussing this topic. "Master…"

A new slave came in, much stronger and more powerful than the Bakemon. "Take them to the torture chamber."

Their screams resounded through the halls, and the Dark One gave a sadistic laugh. _You digidestined stand no chance against me. You have no hope of rediscovering your traits and friendship. But if for some reason you do, then I'll attack. And you'll wish you never came into the digital world…_

* * *

He was speechless, unable to string even two words together to form a legible thought. Words bunched up in his throat, stuck there, continuing to pile up. 

She stood before him with her arms folded defiantly. The young woman could have said something to slice the tense situation, but she instead chose to remain silent.

Yamato knew he needed to make some motion. The redhead was pissed off at him enough the way it was, but he needed confirmation.

Slowly, he moved his right hand to her stomach, gently caressing it. Sora pulled away and glared at him. "Sora, honey, you're going to have to acknowledge me sooner or later."

She sighed. "No, I don't."

"Yes, you do. Particularly if I'm the father of our child."

There was a moment of silence. Normally, it would've bothered the rock sensation, but given the circumstances and the already unbearable conditions, he wasn't too upset. The two stared each other down. "There is no child."

Yamato's eyes widened. "Did you miscarry? Have an abortion?"

The woman shook her head. "No, and you know I would never even consider having an abortion. That's just wrong!"

"Then what happened?"

"I was never pregnant in the first place. It was a false alarm. The home test said I was, but the doctor informed me that the tests aren't always completely accurate."

Yama remained quiet, considering all the new details added to the current dilemma. He was conflicted, unsure of how to react. Finally he managed to control his thoughts and voice. 'Is that a good thing?"

"Excuse me?"

"Are you glad that you're not pregnant?"

He could see the internal anguish in her eyes. It was her turn to feel conflicted. Part of the girl would answer with a resounding hell yeah. She didn't know the first thing about being a mother. But there was another side to it. The other half of her was upset. The gift of life was a beautiful thing. And a product of her love for Yamato…

"Sora?"

"I would've had to raise the child on my own."

"No you wouldn't. I would've been there. Damn it, Sora. The child would have been OURS! You don't know how many nights I've dreamt of you and starting a family together, settling down together, and living our lives together. Of course I'd be there."

"Is that the case, Yamato? Would you really be there? Because you haven't been there for me. I've needed you more than ever before and you WEREN'T there! You had no idea about anything that was going on with me or any of the others for that matter. I bet you don't talk with your own brother anymore."

He winced a bit from the verbal blow, pounding his fist against the wooden door of the old restaurant. "If I could go back, I never would've gone with the band in the first place."

"Well, you can't. What's happened has happened. But I can keep myself from making the same mistakes over."

She began to walk, leaving him far behind, now very aware of the tears in her eyes. "Sora, come back."

"Make me," She growled, storming down the stone footpath towards the mountains of foliage a few hundred meters away.

"Sora, you have to listen to me sometime. I want to fix things between us. I want us to be together the way we used to be."

"Do you really think things can go back to the way they were? Do you think we can jut mend things between us with a snap of a finger?"

Yamato hurried to catch up with the raging redhead, not wanting her or any chance they had of being together to fleet away. "What do I have to do? What do I have to do to show you how much I love you? To get us back together?"

"Stop talking, Yamato. You sound like a desperate fool."

They were now facing each other, yelling rather loudly, lost in their own little world. The argument and criticisms continued, both wondering if they could ever be together again, unaware of they'd wandered into the dense forest and that they were no longer alone…

* * *

Koushiro collapsed onto the jagged rock, panting heavily and clutching his side. Ken stood before him and checked his watch. "We need to keep going." 

"How are you not tired?" The older boy managed as he struggled for air.

"This is a light walk for me compared to the way things usually are."

"Can't we stop for just a quick break?"

Ken shook his head, firmly sticking to what Gennai had told him a few days earlier. "If you want to find out why we're here, we need to find the others."

Koushiro stood up, knowing full well that he was going to be feeling every ache and pain in his body tomorrow. "The others? The other chosen are here?"

"Look at your digivice."

It was unnecessary to do so. Koushiro knew it was true; he had just wanted to hear the boy affirm his hypothesis. "Did we get separated into groups of two?"

"It looks that way." The raven-haired teen answered as they began they journey again. "We're probably about a minute and a half away from finding the two closest…wait! I'm picking up two more readings. They're heading towards all four of us. It appears like we're all going to meet in the middle."

_Thank God. Because I'm about two minutes away from having a heart attack._ "I wonder who it is."

"So do I?" They trekked onward, desert now far behind. The two males entered a forest area, surprised that the landscape had changed so abruptly. _Well, the Dark One has been making all sorts of changes. We should be there any minute._

Koushiro's ears began to pick up something. "It sounds like there's somebody up there yelling."

Ken shut his eyes, intent upon hearing the same thing. "There are two voices…two chosen…one male and female. They're yelling pretty loud. Let's go!"

Long legs sprinted off, and Koushiro felt his head drop. _Why are we running?_ The redhead forced his legs to pick up the pace, well behind Ken's speed, but he soon caught up to the boy.

Ken had stopped at a tree, watching the two duke it out before him. _I knew it was them._

"Do they know they're fighting with each other?" Koushiro wondered out loud.

_You have no idea what's going on. There's a first…_

* * *

The rushing stream was the lone source of life now. It's clear blue waters flowed around them, providing the only physical beauty to be seen for miles. _What happened? It was so beautiful a few miles back._

"We need to cross the stream. My digivice is picking up two others across the river."

Those were the first words either had muttered in the long time they'd been walking. Daisuke studied the older leader, unsure of how to answer his statement and not wanting to question it.

"Let's go. The sooner we get there, the sooner we get answers." _At least I hope so._

Taichi waded through the shallow water, surprised to find no sources of life around here. _That's odd. You'd think creatures would be clinging to this. The terrain all around us is just barren. There's nothing out there to enjoy or provide sustenance. _

Daisuke followed behind, hurrying through, hoping they'd get to the others so he wouldn't have to be alone with the bearer of courage any longer. _Tai and I were so close, but now, it's so awkward._

"Who do you think is up ahead?"

The older brunette glanced down. "I…I don't know. It could be any of them." _But I hope it's not my sister. I don't want to face her, knowing I let her down._

"Do you think they have any ideas about how we got her?" He wasn't trying to pester Taichi. Daisuke just wanted to break the uneasy barrier around them.

"I'm not sure."

"Do you think there's a new evil here that we have to face?"

"There could be." Taichi was frustrated, finding the questions bothersome and annoying, not understanding the younger teen's logic for doing so.

"Taichi?"

"WHAT! Would you stop asking questions, Daisuke? I don't know the freaking answer!" He finally exploded, glaring daggers at the younger boy.

Daisuke's face bore a hurt expression. "Look at your digivice." He quietly whispered, voice turning melancholic.

Two dots had joined the others, all gathered in the same area. Now, six bright flashing lights illuminated the screen, and two of them were moving. _I guess that's us. By the looks of things, we're about to them._ Taichi turned to share this information with Daisuke, but the boy looked downtrodden and ignored Tai's glance. _I shouldn't have snapped at him. He wasn't trying to be a pain. Man, I need some sort of a reminder on how to be a friend._

Pushing through the tree branches, Tai made a path for him and the younger teen to tread on. He could hear yelling up ahead, two distinct almost nostalgic voices, one male and the other female.

They approached the edge of the forest, trees becoming less in number. Taichi stopped walking, and Daisuke collided with him. "Ouch. Why…"

"Sora? Yamato?"

The two stopped their bickering for a second, hearing both their names called. _What in the wo…_ "T...Taichi?"

The blond saw at the confused look on his girlfriend's face—though, at the moment he was unsure of what their relationship was. His cerulean eyes glanced in the direction she was looking, and he took a step backwards. "Taichi, is that you?"

He came out into the open now. Daisuke followed close behind, cautiously, warily, afraid it was all just an illusion. "Yeah," The former leader answered. "I can't believe you guys are here too."

Yamato was dumbfounded, not able to think for the second time today. "How did we get here?"

"We don't know." Taichi answered. Their conversation seemed almost forced. No one said anything for a minute. Eyes wandered around, hoping some geological crevice, flower, or insignificant artifact would provide a conversation starter.

"It's…it's been a long time." Sora finally managed to say.

No eyes met hers. Each of the males were ashamed, guilt-ridden, not willing to look her in the eye. "Weren't two others in this area as well?" Daisuke changed the subject, not wanting to think about the last one.

"I suppose we should make our entrance then."

Everyone faced the new arrivals. Ken and Koushiro came out from behind the tree. Koushiro was looking baffled, but the former Kaiser didn't seem too phased. "Are you ready to explain what's going on now?" Koushiro asked.

Ken glanced at their surroundings and the ominous, darkening skies. "Night is about to approach. It seems a large storm is brewing as well. Darkness is a common thing here in the digital world, but no one wants to be caught in it. I will explain a little bit once we find shelter for the night."

"There's an abandoned restaurant right up there." Sora provided.

The teen smiled at her. "Let's settle there."

Rain began its descent on the land right as the six chosen entered their current refuge. The restaurant seemed even more dark and dismal at the time being. There was no source of light or heat. There was no food. There was no change of clothes.

There was nothing.

"I think there's some firewood in the kitchen area." Yamato tried. "I'll see if I can start a fire."

"That's a good idea." Ken responded, automatically taking the role of leader. Taichi didn't object. He believed the younger teen knew some things the rest of the humans didn't. He didn't want to do anything to endanger learning about these things either.

The rock star did indeed find some old, rotted logs in the once-kitchen. _Beats nothing, I guess._ He rubbed two of the firmer, more brittle sticks together. Nothing happened. The teen kept trying, forcing himself not to give up until he got some sort of spark.

It occurred faster than he thought it would. On his eleventh try, hands beginning to feel calloused and full of blisters, a spark ignited. He could feel the heat, and the blond hurried to place it on the sticks. In no time a roaring fire had begun. The group settled themselves around it, all leaving large gaps in between each other. Everyone remained as sparsely spread out as the situation allowed.

_This is going to get us absolutely nowhere._ The genius teen stood, looking around the room. Ken noticed the inquisitiveness in Koushiro's eyes, still lingering there from his days as a teen. He knew the only reason Koushiro had continued on their long hike was because of his hunger for the answers. _It's good to know some things never change._

Daisuke seemed unsure of himself, doubting the reasons he was here. _He's trying to put on a brave face, but I can tell something is bothering him._ The boy sat, glancing up at his longtime friend in hopes that he would soon learn the reasons they were sent back, and at the same time, hoping his friend could guide him back on the right path.

_There's fear and despair in Taichi's eyes. It's like he's almost given up. We have to break through to him._ Ken knew Taichi's charisma and leadership would be key in aiding the chosen during their battle. He was the one the others looked to in a time of crisis for aid and support.

Yamato…Ken knew he and Sora were in rocky waters. While he hadn't heard too much of their fight, he was sure it was something large and would have to be resolved in the future. _We need your friendship, Yamato. Friendship is a key to mending our groups' broken bonds._

And Sora. It was the same response as her boyfriend. _They often say love makes the world go round. Love is going to unite everyone. We all love our friends, and we're going to need love to fix our torn friendship._

"I know you are all wondering what conditions brought us here, and how we managed to get here. I know the answers to both these questions and many more, but I can only give you sparse information for the time being. Gennai has instructed me not to disclose the main points until the whole group is back together again. _United _again."He emphasized the first word, making sure all ears heard it.

"So what can you tell us?" Taichi was pissed off, to say the least. He wanted the answers now, wanted to resume his role of leader, and show himself everything would be all right.

"An evil digimon has swept over the digital world. Known as the Dark One, this monster has used fear and deception to rapidly place almost all parts of this world under his control. There are still blankets of resistance scattered sporadically around, but most of the land bows before him. It is our job to rid the world of him once more as we were the one to bring about his conquest."

The lone female raised a hand. "How did we do that?"

"We abandoned our crests, the very traits we held close to us. We gave up our true friends, choosing the pleasures of fame and fortune instead. We brought upon the demise of the digital world."

Guilt covered the room like a dense fog. Everyone had been affected by Ken's last statement. They knew they no longer held the things once dear to them close to their hearts. _Our choices…it's because of us. What would Agumon think?_

"Ken, what about our digimon?"

"I can't tell you that yet, Taichi. We must wait till we find the others. Does anyone else have any questions or comments."

Silence became the fog now. No one knew where to begin. It was a maze. Discarded friendships filled the paths, millions of dead ends threatening to blind the way, distracting the destined from learning the truth, tying up all the unraveled ends. The light at the end of the tunnel seemed distant, fading fast.

No one spoke up.

It was beginning to grow further and further away. Koushiro turned his laptop on, typing some codes into it furiously, hoping some sort of miracle answer would come. Daisuke had taken to drawing little pictures in the dirt in an attempt to clear his mind. Taichi and Yamato sat in vegetated states. And Sora was curled up, looking as if she could fall asleep but afraid to close her eyes, fearful of the dreams she might have.

He had to do something.

"The digital world will not save itself. It's up to us, guys! We have to restore our lost friendships. Think about the good times. Think about the times we spent together that are etched in our memories."

No one spoke up.

Ken tried one last attempt. "Remember the large party we had right after defeating MaloMyotismon? You guys remember it…it was the one where all the digidestined from all over the world were at. Just think about it…remember the good times…remember our friendships."

He sat down, noticing how the idle processes all had been doing seemed to cease…

* * *

It had been precisely one month after triumphing over MaloMyotismon. Gennai announced to all the destined he was throwing a celebratory party in the digital world. Word spread quickly, and it seemed everyone was making time for the party. 

"Look at all this food!" Daisuke exclaimed.

"Look at all the people!" Hikari answered while giggling at the boy's comment.

Takeru chuckled. "That too. Hey Hikari, I want to come introduce you to some of the people I met over in France. Dai, you want to come too?"

"Thanks for the offer, man. But I see some of the people I met when I was in New York. I want to go catch up with them."

"I'm going to the food!" Veemon happily cried.

Daisuke watched the other digimon race towards the same table. "Save some for the rest of us!" He walked over to a group of very familiar people. "Hey guys!"

"Daisuke!" They exclaimed back, greeting him, or in Mimi, Michael, and Tai's case, continuing on with their own conversation.

"I can't believe your father got those tickets. Those are fantastic seats. Now I'm getting jealous!" Taichi teased.

Mimi let out a laugh. "You would've loved it there. It was such an awesome game. They went into a penalty shootout…"

"…which I had no idea what was going on." Michael supplied.

"I was explaining things to him." Mimi answered.

"You were explaining things?" Tai was awestruck. "Since when did you know about soccer?"

She winked at him. "Apparently all your rambles and talk about it rubbed off on me. I'm quite knowledgeable about it. You and the others should come visit sometime soon. I'll take you to one of the games…"

"Well if it isn't the Poi brothers. How are you all doing?"

"Koushiro. It's nice to see you again."

"Is Kari here?" The youngest brother laughed.

"She's off visiting some friends. I'm sure she'll look you up sometime soon."

"That's good to hear."

The oldest brother smiled. "So, how is the very smart young computer man?"

"I'm doing well…"

"Ken!"

"Hi, Rosa."

"Guess what; my brother is a digidestined!"

He smiled at the younger girl as she introduced her sibling. "That's good to hear. Mucho gusto…"

"Nacho." Rosa answered.

"Mucho gusto Nacho."

He smiled shyly up at Ken, offering him a toothy smile. "Nacho is shy. How are you, Ken?"

"I'm good. How about you?"

"There's so much I want to tell you. I was hoping I would meet you again. Is Wormon here?"

"By the food table, I assume."

"I wouldn't doubt it…"

"Yama, I want you to meet Yuri. Yuri, this is my…this is Yamato." She smiled up at the blond, unsure of what to label him as.

"Nice to meet you." The Russian replied in forced English as he didn't know Japanese and the other two knew no Russian. "She is beautiful."

"I agree." Yamato smiled, not feeling too jealous.

"Your…girlfriend?"

He beamed down at Sora, placing a delicate kiss on her forehead. "Yeah, she's my girlfriend…"

* * *

Ken was overjoyed to see many of the chosens' expressions lighten from the memory. _Maybe it's starting to get through. Maybe we do have a chance to do it._ His thoughts grew more optimistic as a small smile worked its way to Taichi's face. _Maybe…_

A/N: Finally; I wrote like the whole thing today amidst the graduation parties I had to go to, visiting my friend who won 3 state championships in track over the weekend, and doing my homework…uh oh, I'd better go do my homework right now. Please review and let me know what you think!


	7. And On the Way Down

Rediscovering Destiny

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon and "On the Way Down" by Ryan Cabrera aren't mine!

**_A Hopeless Romantic:_** Yep, that's what I was referring to with the michi hints. Glad you liked it. And you'll hear more about the party with all the digidestined later. As for my timetable, well, I don't really know how to explain it. It might be kind of hard to believe, but I don't spend a lot of time writing each chapter. When my family goes on car trips, I just take a notebook along and write then. I don't have much free time during the day. I work about 4-5 hours a day, help coach an AAU soccer team, hang out with my friends a lot, go to sporting events…my schedule's really busy. If I have some free time, I'll write. I usually know what I want to write. If I don't, I just start writing and hopefully it flows. Summer is easier to update in because I have more time, but my summer's only getting busier as I leave for Mexico in about a month. During the school year, I usually do my homework during other classes in the day, so if I have a free period, I can jot down some ideas or talk to people. It's hard to explain. Hope that helps some…

**_Favo de Mel:_** Thanks! No, I'm not posting at Portkey. –whispers- I can't say I've ever heard of it. It'd be great to talk to you. Just send me an e-mail or something; my address is in my profile somewhere.

**_Wandering Rain:_** It's great to hear from you again. I haven't heard from you in awhile on Gaia either probably because I'm not on that much. Thanks for all the nice words, and I'm hoping you update some of your fics soon if you get a chance.

**_Mrs. Ishida-to-you:_**Congratulations. I didn't graduate; I still have one more year left of high school.

**_Kari Minamoto:_**I don't think the rating is going to jump anymore. At the beginning, I was going to have everyone's problems be a bit more severe, but I changed my mind. And the higher rating was going to stand for some violence, but I don't think it's going to get that detailed or anything.

**_Calare:_**You'll have to see…

**_KoumiLoccness:_** There's no distinct Mimi pairing. That bit was actually a michi hint. I think I put somewhere in here that Mimi's crest was purity, but I'm referring to it both as sincerity and purity.

And thanks to:**_ fanfic, money makes me smile, Moppy, RYOnRIKA-AllDaWay, Curtis Zidane Ziraa, sorato-takari, Miranda, Ballet Kitty, _**and **_mizuki wa kataomoi._ **

Chapter 7: And on the Way Down

"The Digital Network is being monitored by the Dark One."

"Then how are you able to communicate with me right now, Gennai?"

He offered a faint smile to the confused Wizardmon despite himself. _There's a first._ "Before being captured and trapped with the other guardians once more, Azulongmon gave me about a dozen power cores. The Dark One, knowing no good, cannot detect nor trace this power. Right now, I'm using one power core to power The Resistances' communication means."

_Clever. Think of Gennai to do that._ "So, who do we have left on our side? The Meramon in sector nine gave in just the other day. I got to them and cleared their memories of us before they could reveal anything about The Resistance."

"It's a shame we lost them," the digital being replied. "If you count the two of us, Elecmon, Leomon, a handful of Gatomon, Piximon, and a few remaining Tyranomon…well, just about a dozen of us are left. And thanks for the concern over the Meramon. However, the Dark One knows I'm plotting against him. He knows the destined are here."

Wizardmon's brow furrowed. "How?"

"While he cannot sense good, pure power, he _can_ detect the corrupt sort. And unfortunately for us, with the exception of Ken, the other chosen all wield that type."

"But if he knows they're here and broken…"

"…why hasn't he attacked? I can't answer that, Wizardmon, but I have to say I'm thankful he hasn't."

The digimon nodded. "That is at least working in our favor. So what's The Resistances' next job?"

"I need you and Piximon for the next task. Ken and I have been running a series of tasks in the Dark One's territories. When Ken was the Kaiser, he used control spires and dark rings. The Dark One has plenty of power by fear, but we feel he could be using some artificial mechanisms too."

"I'll alert Piximon, and we'll start immediately. Good luck, Gennai."

With a wave of his hand, Wizardmon signed off the communication. The digital being fell back into his chair, exhausted but very relieved. _Well, at least hope still remains with The Resistance. We've been losing support rapidly, and members are being discovered each day._

He studied his elaborate computer. The map with all the chosen children's destinations held on the screen. _Group A is together. It appears they're camping out at a diner. All of them are there so apparently Ken is still managing to keep the peace. I'll check up on them later._

Gennai found the location of Group B. _All of them are still split in pairs. But I have a feeling they'll be together by nightfall. And from the looks of things, the two groups will be together tomorrow. The Resistance can't hold out much longer. We need you to solve your problems and join together as soon as possible…_

* * *

_I'm about a minute away from completely ditching these shoes!_ "Miyako, come back!"

"Why should I?" the younger girl demanded, continuing to sprint out of the yard. "Of all the people I get stuck with, here of all places, it just had to be _you._"

"Why are you so mad at me? You've never even given me a valid explanation."

Miyako turned around, hands on her hips in a defensive manner. "Maybe if you'd get off your high horse once in a while, you'd figure out."

With a sigh, Mimi sat down a nearby log, hands in her head, left very confused by her answer. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. I really wish Sora was here."

"I bet if Sora would've done it, you would've embraced her with open arms. But me? I'm nothing. You totally forget about me."

"Miyako, I have no idea what you're going on about." The older girl shook her head, looking up to the sky as she felt a drop of rain hit her. "Listen, it's starting to rain and from the looks of things, it'll probably be really heavy. Let's go back inside and talk things over. When we're done and when the rain's done, you can leave if that's what you want and I won't stop you."

She was silent for a moment. The now down pouring rain was the only thing that filled the air. Mimi rose from the log she'd been sitting on, clothes very drenched from the onslaught around her. But that was the least of her concerns at the moment. She really hoped that by standing up, Miyako would be under the implication that she was going in regardless what the lavender-haired teen chose.

"Fine!" she had to shout to be heard, "But only because it's raining, and I have absolutely NO IDEA where I am." _Other than in the digital world._

The two girls ran back to the mansion, trying to escape the continuing rain. Miyako got there first and opened the door up for both of them to enter the refuge. They now stood dripping on the lavish carpet, reevaluating the situation.

"Follow me."

Mimi took up the lead, vaguely remembering the large gathering room with a gigantic fireplace. _I hope it's still there._

"I thought you wanted to talk to me." It came as a taunt.

"First I want to find somewhere dry where we can warm up. I don't want either of us to get sick."

Though touched by her sincere tone, Miyako's cold exterior remained. _She hurt me too much._ "How do you know your way around this place?'

"I was brought her once back in the old days." Mimi fondly recalled. "And I stayed her for awhile."

Miyako made a motion to respond but was cut off by the beeping of her digivice. _We must be getting a lot closer to whoever is near us. That or they moved closer to us, and we didn't know it._

"Here we are." Mimi pushed open the west doors, one of the four entrances to the room, and walked in. An instant warmth greeted her. _Someone's in here. The fireplace can't run by itself._ "Excuse me, but we're not interrupting anything are we? We're just seeking refuge from the rain, and…holy cow…"

* * *

"Jyou…Jyou, can we please take a break?" Iori nearly collapsed on the ground behind the older boy. "I can't keep up with the pace you set."

The bearer of reliability turned around, eyes full of concern when he saw the boy. "Are you alright? If only I had my medical kit with me. Do you have a temperature? Are you…"

He held up a hand to cut off the man's ramblings. "Jyou, I'm fine. I'm just a bit exhausted. I can't keep up with you. You have such long legs compared to me."

"Oh," he couldn't think of anything else to reply. "I'm glad you're fine then."

Jyou took a seat on the soft earth next to the boy. They sat in an unnerving silence together, neither knowing what to talk about or discuss. "Why do you think we were sent here?"

"I don't know, Iori. Perhaps there's a problem or something along those lines. That's normally the reason we're sent here."

The younger boy nodded. "That's true. But I'm surprised we were sent here so unceremoniously. You'd think Gennai would've contacted up first."

"Maybe Gennai didn't send us here."

It was a plausible hypothesis. Iori had never thought about something like that. "But if Gennai didn't send for us then who did?"

He couldn't think of an answer for that. "I don't know. But haven't you noticed that the area all around here is dark and depressing?" He motioned around with his hand. Now that they were out of the claustrophobic cave—at least in Jyou's opinion—they could observe their new surroundings.

The new digital world.

Something wasn't right; they could both tell. Everything was dark and depressing. There was hardly any life or beauty around them. All forms of life seemed…dead. From one side of the path they were on to the other things were all the same. Something was going on here.

A beeping interrupted both their musings. "We're almost to where the others are."

"How many are there?" the blue-haired man questioned, standing up.

"It appears there are four. Two more have joined them. They're all up ahead. We're almost there."

"Then I say we head off again." He glanced around him and up at the sky. "We'd better hurry. It looks like it could start raining any minute…"

BOOM!

"…now." With the rain pouring down, Jyou faced Iori. "Let's go. Hopefully there's shelter up ahead."

This time the younger boy made absolutely no complaints about the fast pace. The rain was picking up. With the sporadic lighting and thunder, things seemed even more threatening and dark. _This is not someplace I'd want to get stuck at night._ "Hey! There's something up ahead!"

"Really?" Jyou shouted back. "I can't see a single thing! My glasses are worthless."

"It's a really, really large house. It looks almost like a mansion. If nothing else, it'll at least provide sturdy shelter."

"Sounds good to me. You lead the way because I can't see a thing!"

Cody sprinted ahead of him. They continued running and were about eight hundred meters away from the house when they met an obstruction.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

Iori and Jyou looked at each other. "Who are you?" Jyou finally asked.

The large, very dark creature let out a sadistic laugh. "You don't know who I am? Oh, Gennai, Gennai, Gennai…you really think you can save the digital world from _me _with this kind of comical show? You all are more broken than the rumors I heard. This will be even easier than I thought."

The brunette looked around him. "Save the digital world?"

"You mean you don't know that either? And I suppose you don't know what happened to your digimon either. This is a riot!"

"What happened to our digimon?" the two asked in unison. They had no idea who this creature was, but they could tell it was up to no good. And the bit about their digimon was only making things more nerve-racking.

"I'll let you ponder all the different possibilities. Now, though I haven't had a good _kill _in ages, I think I'll show some mercy and let you be. But don't expect me to be this nice _next time…_"

With a snap, the digital monster had disappeared. "Who the hell was that?"

Iori shook his head, water running down his face. "I have no idea. But what I do know is that I don't want to be out here any longer."

They started to run again, both eager to get into the hopeful refuge. About a minute later they arrived, each panting and exhausted, but very happy to be out of the rain and darkness. "My digivice is going berserk. I think there are some chosen here." Jyou whispered.

The two boys found some towels, hastily thrown into an old closet. After drying off, they began to walk through the halls, ready to explore the house and find the others there.

"I think this is the spot."

Iori opened up the large mahogany doors, pulling on them as hard as he could muster. Finally, with a creak, they opened, revealing a large, spacious room with a roaring fire. "Hello? Is anyone in here? Can…oh my God…"

* * *

"And I thought we were out of the Dark Ocean."

T.K. glanced around at his new environment. "I think we are."

"But everything's dark."

He had no good answer for that. It was true. The area of the digital world that they now were in lay completely in black nothingness. Sure, it was a bit lighter and less threatening than the Dark Ocean—probably as it didn't carry the same memories as that particular place—but still, nonetheless, it was a bit frightening.

Once again their digivices were their saviors. Each emitted a powerful burst of light, pink for Hikari and yellow for Takeru, offering a way for them to find…well, they didn't know what they were trying to find.

The two remained silent. _What do I say to him? Things between us are awkward, to say the least. _

_She probably thinks I'm the world's biggest jerk for what I did to her. But I had my reasons. And I don't want to talk about it._

"Let's look for some shelter." Both girl and boy turned their heads away, light blush on each ones' cheek, as they had replied in unison. "Okay,"

It was clear that a long walk was in store for the two of them. They had been in the Dark Ocean, miles and miles away from other civilization. Or at least they thought so.

"Where were we sent to?" Takeru wondered out loud, not really directing it to the brunette next to him.

"It's a new place every time," She took the comment as an invitation to talk. "We really never end up in the same place twice in a row."

They were silent again. Question and response seemed to be the most exchange the two could manage—more likely were willing—to have. It was odd. The two who were the closest, surviving umpteen could-be fatal digimon attacks, saving two worlds twice, and experiencing so many hardships couldn't even string a few words together to have a civil conversation.

_He was my best friend. We were so close. I miss the old, sweet, kind Takeru. Not that phony "__Chosen__ of Despair" as he's dubbed himself. I understand that he wanted to speak up to make a difference. If he would've chosen any other way, I'm sure I would've been right there, helping him out. But what he did, the way he went about things, wasn't right. Why can't things go back to the way they used to be?_

His digivice began to beep. Looking at it, he realized they were approaching a large building and some of the other destined. "Let's go there." Hikari spoke up.

"Yeah. I bet some of the others and there and know why we were sent here."

_One line forced conversations. Of all the people I thought I might ever end up talking to like this…Kari definitely wasn't one of them. Where did we go wrong? Was it me? Should I not have written those columns? It seemed so right at the moment, letting everyone know the true problems behind the digidestined, hoping that my words would cause the situation to be rectified. Maybe I just made things worse…_

The large building was now in seeing distance. Thankfully, both silently agreed, the darkness had begun to dwindle a bit, giving them enough light to see without their digivices and making them feel a bit more secure. A mansion stood before them. It reminded Kari of an old-fashioned, elaborate castle to some extent. _I wonder if anyone's in there. I wonder if anyone we know is in there._

The two teens walked inside, taking in every feature of this large house. There appeared to be hundreds of rooms, and Takeru was willing to bet they all were lavish. _This place looks kind of run-down and old, but the rooms inside, though dusty, are still awesome._

A large crack of thunder made them both jump. Shivering a bit, gathering her confidence as well, Hikari faced her once best friend. "Takeru, do you think we can find someplace with heat or a fireplace?"

He nodded, opting not to say anything, but at the same time, kicking himself for not having the strength to do so. _I'll talk to her later. I'll explain everything then._

_He's being so cold and stoic. Takeru's kind of acting the way Yamato did when we first came to the digital world._ She knew the older blond had a justified reason for the way he was acting based on his home life. But Takeru? _Is he purposely doing this? His antics make it seem like he doesn't want to have me around, like he doesn't want me to be a friend to him. I'm so confused._

The blond pushed open the large wooden doors before him, opening up a gigantic living room complete with a large fireplace. "Will this do?"

"Sure," she meekly replied.

The two walked into the room. Takeru headed over to the fireplace to attempt starting a fire while Hikari began to examine the room and its artifacts. There was an ancient dining table complete with nearly twenty chairs. _A table this large in a living room?_ And ten comfy reclining chairs, couches, and other types of furniture dotted the room. _They appear kind of small, but I know I can fit into them._

Meanwhile, after four failed attempts, the boy was able to start a roaring fire, bringing more light and plenty of heat to the room. Hikari headed over, settling herself down on the chair closest to the fire. Takeru picked the chair opposite to her and began warming his chilled hands.

Silence returned and the two avoided each others' glance the best they could. The brunette had just thought of a topic to discuss—hopefully meriting more than a one line response—when they heard a large creak. Both looked up, jaws dropping at the sight before them. "Mimi?" Hikari called out.

Another creak.

"Iori?" Takeru challenged.

The four new inhabitants walked into the room, unbelieving, though their digivices told them so, that others were here. Each destined sat down in a chair by the fire. Takeru couldn't help but notice they were dripping wet.

"So…"

"So…" Jyou repeated the sentiment. "Long time no see, huh?"

Mimi gave a forced laugh. "You could say that."

The lavender-haired girl glared at her. "Does anyone know why we're here?"

Iori smiled, knowing that while nearly everyone had changed over the years, certain idiosyncrasies they carried still remained, including Miyako's bluntness. "I don't think any of us know for sure. But…"

"But what, Iori?" Hikari asked.

"We ran into this digimon on our way here," continued Jyou, taking over for the younger boy. "He said something about conquering the digital world, and we couldn't stop him because we're broken."

"And he said something about our digimon. He wouldn't tell us where they are or what happened to them. What did he say, Jyou?"

The older boy sighed, still befuddled by the creature's warning but also scared of its meaning. "He said he'd let us think about all the possibilities that could've happened to them. But he wouldn't tell us what."

"That does not sound like the kind of news we want to hear," Takeru spoke up. One by one the others agreed.

It was silent again. Now that the problem had been addressed, everyone was back to the way they were.

Mimi sat staring at her designer clothes. Miyako was mad at her, but she had no idea what for. _Maybe it was because I left. I don't know. She refuses to even tell me._

_She should know what she did. Mimi never talked to us after she left. She was my role model, and then she let me down._ The teen stared idly into space, wishing she was anywhere but there.

_Sitting around here and doing nothing is going to get us nowhere. If only we had some clues as to what is going on other than what that digimon told us. _Iori looked around the room at the different destined before him. _Now if only everyone would talk together and get along. But that seems like too much to wish for._

Jyou lounged back in his chair, knees bouncing up and down in worry. _I thought I had conquered this problem of worrying, but it only came back. We all should be talking, but we have no leader here. We need someone like Taichi or Yamato to keep us going straight. Who's going to be our leader here?_

The blond looked down into the dancing flames, unsure of why he was really here. _I gave up hope long ago. My crest is as good as gone. The rate we're going, based on the way we're acting right now, darkness and despair will win._ He snorted. _Then I will be the __Chosen__ of Despair._

Hikari's face was in her hands. _Enough is enough. We need to band together. It's up to us to find out what's going on and the way to fix it. But first, we need to address some issues here._ "Alright, I know none of us know for certain why we're here. And it's obvious we're not on the best of terms here. But though we don't know the reason we were sent back here after all these years, that digimon made a good point. We're broken. We're not ourselves. Every one of us has changed and not for the better. It's up to us to fix our tattered relationships. And sitting here on our asses isn't going to accomplish much!"

All eyes met hers. _Hikari NEVER cusses! _Takeru knew she was right; it was just what she was asking to do. _I've already let everyone down the way it is._ Others across the room, though knowing she was right as well, couldn't get themselves to do anything. They, like Takeru, were loosing hope.

It was Iori who spoke up, giving Hikari a weak smile. "I agree. We have to remember the good times. Think about the times we were the best of friends. Think about everything we went through. We can fix this, guys. We just need to believe."

"Do you guys remember the time we all went to visit Mimi in New York?" the brunette girl spoke up, directing the question to everyone.

Iori again answered, showing it would be a conversation between the two of them, but it was also apparent that they had caught the others attention. "It was right after we defeated MaloMyotismon. We were going to do an interview on some American station, but first we decided to see the sights in the Big Apple."

She snickered. "Remember when Daisuke bought that gigantic cotton candy and he and Tai tried to eat it all. It got all over them!"

"And we had the hardest time finding Mimi's place. Yamato and Taichi tried to navigate, but we ended up sending the taxi driver in circles!"

Hikari winked at the younger boy, seeing the others get a reminiscent look in their eyes. "Think about that time…"

* * *

"Guys! What took you so long? I was expecting you over an hour ago!" Mimi shrieked, greeting Miyako and Kari with a long hug.

Sora smirked at her. "We would've been here sooner, but these two felt they were obligated to get us lost."

"Come on, Sora," Taichi replied, "we didn't get _that_ lost."

"We went around in a circle—the same circle—three times." Takeru dryly muttered.

Yamato walked over and wrapped his arms around his brother and the redhead. "We were sightseeing! Give us a break. Tai and I tried to do something nice, show you guys the finer points of the city, but nooooo…we get blamed for getting "lost"…"

"This is fantastic!" Iori exclaimed. "Look at all the animals."

"I heard they put on great shows," Jyou replied while consulting his guidebook. "There are a bunch of different animals."

"I really want to see Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Gloria the hippo, and Melman the giraffe." (1)

The older boy smiled while looking up at the magnificent zoo around him in Central Park. "They have everything here."

"And no shortage of food, either." Miyako let out a laugh, joining them and pointing over to Daisuke and Tai. The two boys were tackling an enormous mountain of cotton candy they had bought. Amazingly, twenty minutes later, it had been reduced to a minor foothill.

"How do they do that?" wondered Mimi, trying to figure out their eating habits.

"We all wonder," Sora replied, joining her friend. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that covered in that pink cotton candy, they look a lot like Piyomon right now…"

"Carriage rides! Come on you guys. You all are going to love this part!" the pink-haired girl exclaimed. "I may have lived here for awhile, but I've always loved going on one."

"Pick a partner or two and climb in." the front driver merrily proclaimed.

Michael, who had joined the group a bit earlier, motioned for Daisuke to hop in the front carriage with him. "I want to tell you about this movie my dad just signed for. I'll give you an early preview of what it's about."

"Awesome!" the boy exclaimed.

"Do you think I could come too?" Iori asked. "I really like your dad's movies."

"Of course, join right in."

Jyou and Koushiro rode in the next carriage, talking excitedly about the sights they were going to see. "And we are not letting Tai or Yama navigate." Koushiro boldly proclaimed.

"Couldn't agree with you any more," the blue-haired boy nodded.

"Taichi, you riding with me?" Mimi asked.

He gave a fake sigh. "If I have to."

She rolled her eyes. "I'll tell you all about that soccer match I went to."

Miyako shyly approached Ken. "Hey, Ken, I was wondering if you wanted to ride with me."

Takeru smirked, giving the boy genius a push toward the girl. "Go on, Ken. I'll ride with someone else."

"Okay, then." He climbed into the carriage, smiling rather noticeably.

Yamato climbed into the second-to-last carriage. He offered Sora his hand, and she walked in, sitting down comfortably next to him. "Have fun, you two!" the older blond catcalled over his shoulder as their ride began.

Hikari blushed, studying the boy next to her. "Well, it's you and me then."

He gave her a dazzling smile. "Sounds good to me. Let's go…"

* * *

Iori was elated to see the expressions on the destined's faces change so rapidly. _Maybe this is getting through. This could really work._

Hikari's smile grew as well._ I'm afraid this is only a temporary happiness. We won't be able to mend everything until the whole group is together. _She studied her digivice, finally seeing a bunch of other dots. _They're not too far away from us. Only once we all reunite will we be able to rediscover what we lost. I hope we find them soon…_

A/N: Please review! The (1) up above is a reference to the movie _Madagascar._ I wrote this chapter right before I went to see it and nearly burst out laughing when it started out in the Central Park Zoo. So, the names of all the animals are the names of the four main characters in the movie, which I do not own. Hope you guys liked the chapter! Please review!


	8. I Saw You

Rediscovering Destiny

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon and the song "On the Way Down" by Ryan Cabrera aren't mine!

**_Wandering Rain:_** _Well, whatever you find yourself doing now, I wish you the best of luck in everything. Sometimes change is good; I hope this is one of those times for you. I'm going to miss your writings here, but you do what you think is best. I'm honored that you stop back to check up on me from time to time, and if you ever want to talk or chat, you know where to reach me._

**_Ballet Kitty:_**_ Mimi's never going to be with a "defined" couple. I'll put in plenty of hints for her with different chosen guys though…_

**_Kuroi Black Nightingale:_**_ It'll be a few chapters before the action starts up, but it won't take long when it does._

**_Calare:_**_ I'm still not going to tell you if Sora's pregnant or not, BUT by the end of the story you will know for sure…if you doubt my honesty. –insert evil laughter- The groups kind of just meet up in this chapter, but they'll talk and learn why they're here again and who the "Dark One" is next chapter. I was running out of time; I wrote a bulk of this chapter today even though I should be packing…I'd better go do that right now…_

And thanks to:**_ Sabishi Tomo, sorato-takari, KoumiLoccness, windedlove, _**and **_Mrs. Ishida-to-you._**

Chapter 8: I Saw You

Theoretically speaking, the battle between good and evil has always been raging from land to sea in the digital world. From the very beginning there was chaos and terror, masked behind the bit of light and hope spread throughout the world by those willing to fight. Evil dictating monsters have come, damage has been wrought, panic ensured and for many, the will to win has long since vanished.

But in those times of need, in both great hazard and minor turmoil, there have always been those prepared to take a stand against the darkness, to fight to spread the infinite power of goodness, friendship and love. The resistance has prospered when banding together, defeating the enemies of peace and serenity one by one.

Yet darkness still remains.

Despite all the power of the resistance, darkness still will cover the world. The size of the darkness and despair reflects the situation at hand. At times the power of evil and viciousness is nearly obsolete, providing the digital world's inhabitants with a sense of security and safety. But at other times, namely in periods of great struggle and internal chaos, times when the darkness has readily captured everything in its way, fear dominates, ready to spread to even the real world.

It is during these dark times that those who have the ability and power to vanquish the threatening darkness from taking over the minds and hearts of all who reside here must stand together. Their only chance at success to rid the world of the current chaos and destruction comes as a team. One person can make a difference, but one group has more abilities, drawn from every member of the team and his or her gifts and talents. To defeat an evil like this, forgiveness and honesty must be distributed, handed to each member of the team on a golden platter of loyalty.

But, as it is with everything else one is offered, the ability to rid the world of the enormous darkness comes as a choice. One is not obligated to defend the world, one is not forced to stand firm when he or she would rather not.

It is a choice.

If one of the party is not willing to give and sacrifice, no good can come. To be successful, each person must do their part, contributing their assets to the good of the whole. Courage must once again become the leader but at the same time know when to be a follower. Purity (Sincerity) will help the lost and doubtful regain their attributes. Reliability offers a shoulder to lean on, always ready to help. The blendings of Love and Purity (Sincerity), Friendship and Courage and Knowledge and Reliability will be the support system, keeping the group moving down the right road. Light and Hope must provide strength for all despite how terrible times become. Knowledge and Kindness will light the path to victory.

And most of all there must be Friendship and Love.

Friendship is the guiding key to ending the darkness; the one element necessary to combine all the virtues and traits together, but Friendship also leads to the most important one of all: Love. And if there is no Love…there is no chance…

* * *

The cackling fire was finally starting to die down. Its flames danced in the dark décor of the room, providing the one source of light until the sun made its powerful presence known. Hikari glanced at the room before her, eyes traveling to study its wonders. The gothic architecture placed the windows high above, and she knew sunlight wouldn't hit the room until sometime during midmorning. 

Glancing at the now beeping digivice in her pocket, she noted the time. _8:15._ Kari stood up, stretching a bit from her uncomfortable night of sleep, hazy dreams and confusion. The others around her were slowly beginning to stir, but as they woke, none acknowledged anyone else's being a few feet from them.

Iori caught her eye as he too rose to his feet, walking over to join her in front of fireplace. "I think we should get going."

"I agree," she automatically responded. "We need to meet up with the others as soon as we can."

"I want to go home!"

They both swung around at the comment, looking at an irate Miyako. "First I was drug into this land without wanting to. Then I was forced to meet up with _her._" She jabbed her finger in Mimi's direction, prompting a gasp from the movie star. "I'm stuck here with you people, none of whom I've talked to in a good five years. I JUST WANT TO LEAVE!"

"Miyako, calm down." Hikari calmly tried, unsure if her attempt would get through. "Before we can do that…"

"Shut up, Hikari! You don't know the hell I've been through these past five years. Then suddenly, here I am, transported back _here_ and seeing you guys again. I'm sure things have been nice and peachy for you all, but that's not the case for me!"

The brunette raised her eyebrows in confusion. "Nice and peachy? My life has been far from that. I'm sure not one of us in this room can say his or her life has been that way."

"I bet _her_ life has been nothing short of perfect."

"What's with all these verbal bashings, Miyako?" Mimi hastily stood up from her chair, hair flying wildly around her. "You yelled and threw words at me since the moment we arrived here, and I have yet to hear a justified reason."

She glared right back. The flames of the fire seemed to jump higher as if they could see the growing feelings of uneasiness and fury. "I think you should know that!"

"Can't we all just stop arguing and show a little maturity here?"

"NO!"

Iori's face fell at the comment._ It's not like I'm not used to being ignored._

"Stop this now, you two!" Takeru stepped in between the two young women, trying to get them to come to their senses as he was sick and tired of their fighting and arguing. "You're being childish about the whole thing."

"I just want to go home!" Miyako pleaded, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "And I want to get away from all of you."

Mimi began to smirk. "And you think the rest of us don't?"

"Mimi…" Hikari warned.

"Why you…"

"Can we all please STOP YELLING?"

The entire room silenced, arguments from Miyako and Mimi coming to an abrupt halt. All gawked at the blue-haired doctor who had finally decided to make his presence known. "I'm sick and tired of listening to all of you bicker! Yell at each other, complain, throw fits…do it on your own time. For the time being it appears we're stuck together _like it or not._ I have no idea in hell why we were sent back here nor do I know how we can get home. It's clear from our digivices that the others are here as well. As it's been in the past, we probably all have to meet up before we can find out the why's and how's."

Kari took a deep calming breath. _They wouldn't listen to me. Thankfully Jyou took the initiative to speak up. He's the closest we've found to a leader so far._ "I agree with your theory, Jyou. When we first came here during the era of the Dark Masters, the eight of us had to be together before we could even think of defeating them and returning home."

"And we couldn't start to fight our real enemy until Ken joined us, and we became friends." Iori supplied. "Right now we would be better spending our time searching for the others instead of wasting our breath arguing."

The two girls—the main source of the arguments and rants—appeared to agree, both choosing not to say anything as the other inhabitants were clearly not happy with them. Right now, as no one seemed to have any inkling as to why they were transported back to the digital world—here of _all_ places—and why they were needed, it was the best option not to have everyone seething at them, all tempers dangerously close to erupting.

First Hikari stood up. She had been waiting for Jyou to take the initiate, hoping he would be that "leader" they so desperately needed until they met up with her older brother. _If he still has enough courage to be the leader._

But Jyou did no such thing. One by one the others mimicked Kari's example with Jyou being the last person to rise to his feet, as if unsure the choice was the best in the situation. Iori joined the bearer of light up at the front while the other four lingered around, sporadically displacing themselves from one another but remaining close enough in case something should happen. Or maybe it was just so they could guarantee they wouldn't get separated, unable to find the others and ultimately, unable to get home.

Silence had now become everyone's best friend. In a world where it seemed nothing was ever quiet, the calming peace disturbed by increasing technological wonders and human rudeness, silence was equated to nerves, fear and weakness. Usually this want for calmness and softness—should there be one—was hard to find anywhere. Humans thrived on the noise as if afraid the silence was a monster under the bed, awaiting the perfect—silent—instance to stalk its prey and viciously attack. This kind of silence, though for the most part was never wanted, was greatly welcomed in some instances.

But not this time.

Leaving the house far behind, the chosen walked down the path Iori and Jyou had climbed last night, taking one last look at the picturesque mansion behind them. The six chosen children had departed in an unnerving, almost fearful silence.

For some—namely Miyako and Mimi—opening the mouth was not an option. Tempers were already thin, nearly as wild as the fire they'd all sat around the night before, and neither girl wanted to make things worse, particularly for themselves. For others, it was the fear and uncertainty. What would they do? What was the answer?

Why?

Hikari's vision drifted through the group, eyes wide on the lookout for any of the others or any threat. _We were sent back here for a reason; we'll have to be on the look-out at all times._

With their digivices continuing to provide the only noise and be the only leader, they trekked on, slowly but surely approaching the other six…

* * *

"Why are we…what…" Taking a glance back at a yawning Daisuke, Ken continued to lead his group closer to where the rest of the chosen were located at. "Why are we up so damn early?" 

"The Dark One could choose to strike at any time. It'll be a hundred times more beneficial for us to be with the others than by ourselves out here."

Taichi huffed, drawing everyone's attention and making it a bit blatant he was more than peeved at the boy teen and his answer. "Why don't you just tell us what's going on since you obviously know? We'd all appreciate it, you explaining what's going on instead of rubbing it in our faces."

"He's not rubbing anything in our faces. He's going to explain everything when we're all together." Koushiro reasoned, inferring from the brunette's behavior that a verbal assault was a mere minute or so away from launching itself. _Hopefully things don't get physical._

"I wonder why you say that," the bearer of courage ignored the other genius's answer. _Ken probably already told him everything._ "I bet the two of you are laughing to yourselves at how we're not smart enough to figure things out."

Yamato's face darkened as he stopped walking, turning in the boy's direction, apparently not happy with what was coming out of Tai's mouth. "Look, your emotions are on edge along with the rest of us right now. Cool it before you do something you'll regret."

"Is that a challenge?"

"You don't want to fight me, Taichi."

"Wanna bet?"

Daisuke had every urge to jump in between the two nineteen-year-olds, but he stopped, remembering something Takeru had told him long ago. _"Daisuke let them be…"_ The bearer of hope's words had come to be a knowledgeable assumption, stemmed from their earlier years in the digital world. _But should I leave them be? Maybe a good beating will do them both good._

Yamato took the first swing, decking Taichi hard in the side of the face. "Yamato, STOP!" Sora cried, lunging between the two of them, doing her best to separate them. "A fight is _not_ what we need right now."

"This is between the two of us, Sora. Stay out of it!" Taichi spit blood, glaring at the girl who was holding his one-time rival back.

She returned the gesture, grasping her hands tighter around Yamato's waist where she had been using every bit of strength she possessed—and using the fact that she was going near him, something he wanted, to her benefit—to keep the two from fighting. "You didn't mean that, Tai. If the two of you would just think, think before doing something stupid, things will be better."

"Sora's right," Ken quietly answered, a bit alarmed they were fighting over something petty; something _he_ had, well, had not said. "If you can wait until we find the others, Taichi, I'll answer every question you have for me."

Daisuke looked around them and realized the others were making up ground, as they had previously not been moving. "Can we just keep going?"

No one seemed to hear the youngest in the group, or if they did, they chose to ignore his words of wisdom. Daisuke could see the blond take a deep breath, calming his nerves and emotions the best he could possibly manage.

_Sora's close proximity is probably keeping him from doing something stupid._ Koushiro could sense the tensions between everyone. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. Things had very much changed over the course of five years. It was hard to believe this was the way things had turned out with all of them.

"It's not worth it, Tai." With another soothing breath, Yamato had thrown in the towel. "There's no need to get in another pointless fight, now of all times."

Tai knew he should be listening. He knew he was never the reckless one. _That was always Yama._ He knew it would serve them best to forget this and find the others. He knew it.

But his ego and pride got in the way.

"No. No! It's not pointless." He jerked his fingers at Ken while Koushiro moved closer so he could, if necessary—and it seemed very possible—keep Tai from hitting back. "Ken knows what's going on. Doesn't it bother you guys that none of the rest of us do? He could be helping us figure out what's going on so we can get back to our pathetic lives. But instead he's shutting up, just like Gennai always did." His emotions and anger were now controlling him. "You know what? I want answers!"

"He's promised us answers, Tai." Sora tried to be the reasonable one, hoping her years of friendship to the bushy-haired teen would help her. _He's never been this irrational before. Have things really been that bad for him?_ "And we will get them. Just don't take your anger out on Yamato…don't take your anger out on any of us."

"Siding with your boyfriend…I see some things haven't changed over the years, Sor. It's always been like that. Even when we were little you went with what he said. And now, you're backing up another person who isn't me. That's just like you."

They both knew he didn't mean it. Everyone knew he didn't mean it. Pushed on by his anger, fear and general hate for his life, Taichi's words held a venom that pricked Sora like a needle, though. Slowly, almost hesitantly, the girl freed Yamato from her grip, looking him square in the eyes, her own beginning to form tears. "Go ahead. It's for your own good, Taichi. Maybe you'll knock some answers into him, Yamato."

Her words sent Taichi off, and he caught the blond off guard, delivering a punch straight to his jaw. Yamato, though a bit dazed, fired back with a hard kick to the brunette's shin, tackling the once-leader to the ground. They wrestled around below, but none of the others chose to interfere. "You asked for answers, Taichi? It's funny how the roles are being reversed. This was the two of us years ago except _I_ was the one left wanting answers and _you_ were the one beating sense into me. We'll get our answers eventually. For now we just have to be patient and hope for the best, hope that we can fix our pathetic lives and make things go back to the way they used to be."

The allusion to their old fight—ironically over nearly the same thing—struck a nerve with Tai, but he didn't stop fighting. "What's going on?" "What are the two of you doing?" a set of voices cried out, pausing the wrestling match before them.

All eyes turned to meet the new arrivals. From the familiar voice, they knew it wasn't an enemy. Hikari and Takeru had pushed their way to the front of the pack when realizing their brothers were locked in a reminiscent fistfight, Yamato currently pinning her Taichi to the ground. _Probably for some dumb reason._ Hikari looked around. "It's been awhile, guys."

"Yeah, it really has." Sora was the only one to find her voice. One by one the other six who had just arrived joined the large group, all of them finally together once more. _It's been such a long time since we were all together_…

* * *

"You see, you worthless fool, I do not need to worry about the chosen. They are no threat! Look at the way they are behaving here. Friendship and Courage and attacking each other. Love's heart seemed hardened, showing contempt for both the two. Knowledge is at a loss. Kindness is failing his task. And Courage/Friendship is confused. The others have just arrived, but they're suffering the same loss." 

"Yes, Oh Dark One. You are so smart and powerful."

The digimon's eyes narrowed at the lofty praise, causing his minion to shrink down into the darkness. "I think, though, that despite their uselessness, I'd rather not have them intruding on _my_ territory. I think, yes, I'll send them a parting…final goodbye…"

* * *

**(Memory everyone is having)**

"Hikari Yagami, _what_ is taking you so long?"

"I'll be out in a minute. Calm down, big brother," she called from behind the door of the bathroom. Her older brother stood outside, pacing frantically, ready to put a hole through the ground if he walked over the carpet anymore.

The door slammed open, stopping his pacing and making the bushy-haired teen, dressed in his nicest clothes smile at his sister. "You're just crabby because you think we'll be late and then you won't be able to see Catherine and some other digidestined will ask her to dance."

His chocolate eyes filled with a glare. "At least I'm not going to have two guys fighting over who gets to dance with me all night."

"There are _three_ Poi brothers, Taichi."

Narrowing his eyes a bit, the boy couldn't fight a chuckle. She had him on that one. "But don't forget about Takeru and Daisuke…"

"Wow, Gennai really went all out!"

"I'll say," Koushiro replied, glancing at all the decorations.

Iori laughed. "But I bet he had some help."

"Do you really think he could do all this by himself?" Miyako questioned.

Ken smirked at her statement. "You never know."

The digital being had once again arranged a huge party for all the digidestined children from around the world and their digimon—who had helped in the battle with MaloMyotismon—as well. Thousands of people, ranging from young ages to mid-twenties were there. The race and language barriers had been broken, all having a good time with people from all walks of life.

"Hey guys!"

They looked up to see Sora and Matt's smiling faces, the two walking hand and hand over to them, both appearing a little tired. "How's it going?"

"Pretty good. This party's lots of fun!" Miyako warmly exclaimed. "I never thought I'd see some of these people again. Sor, did you happen to talk to Yuri because I did?"

"He's kept me on the dance floor all night long! I haven't had a chance to talk to anyone," Sora giggled.

"I've kept _you_ on the dance floor?" the blond grinned impishly. "What about all the "Yama, I love this song! We can't leave!" things I've been hearing the whole night?"

The group around them laughed as Sora's face began to slowly match her hair color…

Taichi let out a sigh as he watched the line of guys following Catherine around, each one waiting patiently for their turn to dance with her. _I guess I'll talk to her some other time._ It wasn't like he hadn't danced or anything. He'd been out on the floor with all his close girl friends and the guys as well.

His eyes traveled across the room. His little sister was currently talking to five guys, but Tai knew that if any of them tried anything, he'd be there in no time. Daisuke caught his eye from his spot on Hikari's right and rolled his eyes. Takeru looked over and smirked at the brunette's expression, knowing exactly what was running through his mind.

Jyou, as Tai was pleasantly surprised to find, was out on the dance floor with one of the girls from China. The bearer of courage laughed to himself as he realized that the blue-haired boy's dance moves _had_ improved over the years. Koushiro was sitting at a table with Mimi, Miyako, Ken, and Iori, all of them locked in a ferocious card game of some sort.

"No food in front of you?"

"Sora! Hey! What's up? Where's Yamato at?" he wondered as the redhead sat down next to him at the circular table.

She fanned herself with her left hand, sweat droplets beginning to form on her forehead. "He's getting us some drinks. How's Tai doing? I've seen you eying Catherine from time to time."

He smirked at her. "Yeah, well, I'm not the only one. I'm good, taking over my watchful role of leader of the chosen children. I'm thinking about getting a petition to start a worldwide digimon union, me being the leader of course."

"Of course," another voice added roguishly, "I mean, what kind of digimon organization would it be if fearless Taichi Yagami wasn't our leader?"

"Hello to you too, Yamato. Is he always this cranky?" Tai addressed Sora while listening to Yamato laugh at his comment.

"It varies with the day." The blond handed the other two large glasses of a tropical punch Gennai had made.

"I'm touched, Yama. You remembered little old me too."

Yamato gave a flourished bow in Tai's direction. "How could I forget you, oh brave and fearless leader?"

The music continued blaring for the next hour while the three friends caught up on all the good times. They hadn't had much time to sit around and talk over the past few weeks and months. Things had become increasingly hectic ever since the defeat of MaloMyotismon.

"And now, we're going to take things down a little," the DJ called into the microphone. "It's Ladies' Choice right now, so ladies, get that guy you've wanted to dance with all night out onto the floor…"

Sora leaned over to Yamato, whispering something in his ear. A large grin broke out onto his face, and he nodded, obviously liking her suggestion. She smiled back at him, placing a kiss on his cheek.

"Where are you going?"

The blond glanced back at Taichi, a dangerous smile on his face. "I'm going to go get into some mischief. You two have fun. Tai, DON'T step on her feet to much, or you'll have to deal with me…"

"Awe…Mimi managed to get Koushiro out to dance! I think that's the first time he's been out there all night."

Tai had to crack a smile, moving his feet to the music but carefully avoiding stepping on her feet, remembering Yamato's warning. The song "Cool" by Gwen Stefani was playing and pairs were out on the dance floor now. "Sora…I'm touched you wanted to dance with me of all people, but why not Yamato? He's your boyf…"

"But you're my best friend, Taichi," she simply explained. "I don't want things between us to be odd just because Yama and I are dating now. I know it was a bit awkward, the night of the concert and all but…"

Tai gave her a smile, never before realizing how mature Sora really was. "I'm happy for the two of you. I really am. You guys go well together."

Sora, arms already resting on his shoulders, pulled Tai in for a hug. "You're the best, Tai! I don't know what I'd do without you as a friend."

They heard a laugh from them and were very surprised—as were five other boys—to see the couple dancing wildly beside them even though it was a slow ballad. The brunette's mouth dropped open, and he began to laugh loudly. "You're one of the few people I won't hunt down for dancing with her, Ishida."

Yama grinned too, spinning his dance partner—Hikari—in a circle while the table full of boys, Takeru, Daisuke, and the Poi brothers all watched on enviously…

* * *

"Now are we going to get our answers?" Taichi growled to one of the boy geniuses, a bit perturbed by the sudden appearance of the others, particularly his sister. 

"Yes, we're…DUCK!"

Fireballs came shooting out of nowhere, but the group luckily managed to evade them. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

A group of five Meramon had them surrounded, all twelve locked together in a circular ring. Fear grew on everyone's faces while the digimon before them gave insane chuckles. "Now I know why the Dark One said it would be easy to destroy them. Say goodbye digidestined…"

**A/N: Good place to leave it hanging! Lol! Some quick notes about the chapter: 1) I switched around Taichi and Yamato's behavior from the episode where they fight each other in front of everyone. My reasoning for it was that Yamato was more concerned with his "problems" with Sora rather than wanting to know every answer. He was glad to be there and see Sora. But he'll be more wondering and show his temper again…don't worry. And Tai's behavior is a result of his life situation and how much he wishes things were back to the way they used to be. 2) I don't own the song by Gwen Stefani. It just seemed to fit the whole Yamato/Sora/Taichi thing. 3) I jumped around a bit in here. If you have any questions, just ask. The party thing was a memory everyone was thinking of. And 4) I hope you guys all enjoyed the chapter and please review to let me know what you thought! Your comments help me write, particularly for this story. **

**Okay, here's the complicated mess I find myself in right now. I leave for ****Canada****—long story there—tomorrow morning for about 4 days. When I get back, I should have "Undercover" written and up sometime before the 28th. Then, on the 28th, I leave for ****Mexico****. Yes, yes, I know…I've traveled more this summer than all my other summer's put together. I'll be gone for two weeks, back in time for senior pictures and fall soccer to start up, but I should have PLENTY of updates on stories ready to be typed!**

**Please Review!**


	9. And You Saved Me from Myself

Rediscovering Destiny

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon and the song "On the Way Down" by Ryan Cabrera aren't mine.

**_Watase Jr.:_**_ Thanks for the suggestion. I have an idea that is, to some extent, similar to your suggestion._

**_A Hopeless Romantic:_**_ The card game was kind of just a whim. I threw it in but never really thought about it. Mimi's couple status will never be set in stone. There won't be a lot of any couple with her throughout the story's "real time", but there will be plenty of hints one way or another in the flashbacks. I'm going to try and stick with the canon ending, but I see no problem putting in hints for couples that never occurred, Michi being one of them. I like Michi, but I think throwing in hints with her for a few different guys—as the media paired her up with quite a few of them—will add to this story. But yes, you can expect some Michi in certain places, but not in this chapter. Hope I answered your question!_

**_Teehee:_**_ Nope, it's a still a sorato._

**_Inconnu:_**_ You, come up with no plotline? Chica, I think we've discussed this…lol…_

**_Ballet Kitty: _**_Look up at the response for A Hopeless Romantic…it'll address some Michi questions…_

**_Eliiriel:_**_ Yes, duck was very philosophical. _

**_Moppy:_**_ I didn't get much of a chance to proofread last chapter as I was rushed for time, but I'll go back eventually and do it._

**_Calare:_**_ The Poi brothers were a bit freaky, the more I think about it. Yes, I'm not crazy about the whole "Hope and Light" destined to save every problem. It spins off that "Angels of Hope and Light thing." Instead, all the crests are important here. Is she pregnant? You'll have to see…_

_And thanks to:** SaffireStarz, sorato-takari, Mrs. Ishida-to-you, KoumiLoccness, windedlove, **and **Wishinstahhz (all the reviews!)** _

Chapter 9: And You Saved Me from Myself

Consult any book. Check out any reference material. Call on any worldly scholar. Calculate any evidence found in artifacts.

You won't find the answers.

In the real world, humans make a living of documentation. Writing down oral narratives employs journalists, authors and scribes. Books and accounts require publishers, editors and cinematographers. Written information—true or imaginative—demands actors, computer technicians and crews.

From there, this unending cycle—a circle of history—continues onward, stretching across the globe and infinitely wandering to the borders researchers have yet to discover. These stories, the tales that make nations' backgrounds and mold them into the mosaic of one world, can be found all over.

But not here.

To most accurately describe the past events of the digital world, prehistory comes into play. This instills the fact that all happenings in this world took place before _history_—the written synopsis of past occurrences—developed, chiefly as the only inhabitants with writing ability were digital beings who chose not to write things down.

You will find the digital world to have a sort of history, per say, but it theoretically cannot be referred to or defined as "history". Instead, what is known about all aspects of the past, from the epic wars and battles to the original creation to the first creatures and menacing villains is all passed down through words.

Rich, lucid tales of adventure and drama, romance, angst and miracles are spread though an oral tradition of fanciful myths and legends. There is not a single creature residing in this world who does not know the build-up and decay of his or her world. There are hundreds of stories, each with an important point or moral like those of human fables.

But one story holds a greater importance than the rest combined.

Hundreds of thousands of year in the past—keeping in mind the aging of time in the digital realm can be manipulated—six humans set foot into this world, none of them knowing the impact their visit would have on the future.

It was a mistake they'd come in the first place, a technological experiment gone haywire. They, after plenty of bartering and effort, befriended six digimon, their partners who would stand by them through everything.

These six children were enthralled with this seemingly peaceful world. They traveled around with their partners, each taking in the marvelous secrets the digital world possessed.

At the time there was peace and unity here. Evil had, as it always does, made its presence known. But these mere children experienced only the good of the world, occasionally hitting bumps but never entering danger.

That all changed when they least expected it.

Like the Christian story of God and Lucifer, there happened to be two competing forces, each claiming responsibility for the world. Rheamon, the theoretical mother, radiated light while Cronusmon preached darkness.

Together, they originally compromised their differences and managed to rule the land without much chaos. But with, in Cronusmon's opinion, the intrusion of humans into the land, things changed.

The female was happy with their arrival. For ages, the elder and wiser digimon knew bits and pieces of the existence of humans but not enough of them. Rheamon wanted to extend an ethereal hand of friendship, seeing the possibility of a strong alliance between the two worlds.

Cronusmon didn't see things in the same light. Humans were vicious conquerors, bent upon forcing all digimon into slavery. Though his idea could have been plausible, the way he went about to solve his problem corrupted all the purity in it.

She wanted to send an envoy. He wanted to force all digital monsters into an army to wreak bloodshed on the humans, letting their dripping carcasses rot for all to see and to make an example of his power.

And thus two sides were formed.

Cronusmon, now fed and nurtured by power, was joined by four of his—and Rheamon's—children, all of whom, unlike every other digimon born from an egg, had been created from the dust used to form the digital world. Apocalymon, Myotismon, Devimon—accompanied by his lover LadyDevimon—and Daemon joined with their "father".

But Rheamon also had her own army, led by her other four children: Elecmon, Angewomon—and her lover Angemon—Wizardmon and Centarumon. These five took up their fort on the east while Cronusmon and his group ruled the west.

Now, with war between the two sides inevitable and Cronusmon making conscription of all digimon a law, the children found themselves at a crossroads. None of their digimon could ever remember a digital war. The land was not a safe place, particularly with as little defense as they had.

Seeing the peril they found themselves and plotting for after her victory, Rheamon took them in, offering shelter, protection and an explanation should they choose her side to fight for. Who were they to argue? The six originals were grated the power of digi-evolution after taking oaths of loyalty.

The bloody fighting began and continued on for ages, locked in a dangerous, silent stalemate. As if sensing her time was near, Rheamon used nearly all of her power and life-force to create four new digital monsters; four with the power and magnitude to rule the world in harmony.

Unfortunately, they lay in a vegetated state, unable to be awoken until Cronusmon was no more. And Rheamon would never live to see the day as, in her weak state, she was slaughtered by Apocalymon.

But good arose from the evil.

Rheamon's group lay in rubble with no leader. Internal disarray nearly tore them apart. However Centarumon, the youngest, stepped forward with a plan.

He had been blessed with the ability to divinize and see the future through the stars. It was all laid out in the heavens, he told them. Fate elected for this to happen. Rheamon's destiny had been fulfilled. The stars shone brightly on her decayed form—unable to be reborn as she was one of the creators.

But that wasn't the only thing written in the eternal sky. The heavens spelt victory if the group elected the ultimate sacrifice.

As Rheamon wanted to invite the humans in, she died for them. In order to save the entire digital world, those same children would have to die.

It was a hard choice to make. To die for one's own country is admirable but for a hostile, almost unwelcoming one? The kids were uncertain.

No one pressured them as Centarumon read the stars like a book, boldly evangelizing their message. It is up to the children…the choice comes of their own free will. To tamper with Fate is to secure your own deathbed.

Night and day came and passed, the decision weighing heavily on each and every mind. They recalled the reasons why destiny gave them the privilege to be there. Could they even go home if they wanted to? _This_, the digital world, was their home now, their final resting place. They couldn't forget what Rheamon did for them.

So they mad the ultimate sacrifice.

One by one, they—and their digimon partners—were led to holy ground, the exact spot Rheamon was murdered. By the sixth willing sacrifice, Cronusmon was no more.

Apocalymon took the reigns, as the stars foretold. His bid was nothing but unsuccessful. By the twelfth and final choice, he too vanished. The army of Rheamon watched as its foes fled.

Celebration was exuberant. The bonds of slavery Cronusmon put on digimon had disappeared. Young and old joined in this joyous occasion of freedom.

But Centarumon wisely avoided any celebration. He was the lone figure who knew the worst had yet to arise. He knew chaos and evil never seen before would reign. However, hope remained.

The oldest, vanquished with his father, would return, a puppeteer using pawns of his siblings to play his sick games. Eight children—each with more abundant power than the six originals—would provide his downfall once and for all after destroying his pawns.

Two of his pawns, the next two brothers in line, would suffer at the hands of these children as well. The third son would be resurrected at the hour of the beast and once more after confounding a human host. Light and the insistence of four more children would bring his downfall.

But the last son was the most dangerous. The twelve children would temporarily lock him into darkness. But he would feed off the darkness, gaining more power, ready to strike when they destroyed the digital world.

Centarumon was relieved to learn these children would not have to die. They would be in for one roller coaster ride of epic proportions to fix things and rediscover destiny when the time came.

And that time is the present…

* * *

The red flames of death catapulted closer as the Meramon's laughter resounded in the distance.  
_  
So this is it._ Hikari looked around her, eyes focusing on all the destined. _Everyone but Ken looks so lifeless and void of hope. I want to believe we'll be okay, but how can we escape this?_

She locked her body, like the rest of her once-friends, preparing to meet death face to face. _And we didn't have a chance to even try to fix what happened to this world._

The brunette's wine-colored eyes clenched shut as she felt what seemed to be a vacuum take her body prisoner. _So this is death. It's not what I imagined. But why am I not feeling the flames? _Eyes opened, revealing the digital world.

"What just happened?" Takeru voiced everyone's question.

"How the hell did we survive?" her older brother pounded his fist against his hand.

"You make it sound like you wanted to be obliterated back there. I'm sorry for interrupting your suicide wish. Don't worry, though, you'll have more opportunities like that in the future." The high-pitched voice sounded quite amused, like it hadn't been expecting that to happen.

But the question was: who just saved their lives?

One look, at least for the eight originals, told them the answer. "Piximon?"

"I don't know whether to feel flattered or shamed that you know my name, given everything you've forgotten about this world."

His words were like a samurai's sword, sinking deeply into everyone's hearts. "Piximon," Jyou spoke up at last, "why did you save us then?"

"Why did I save you, boy? You twelve are the only chance this world has to survive. I couldn't let the Dark One kill you!"

Daisuke's eyes held a questioning glance. "What do you mean _we're the only chance?_"

The small digimon sighed as if contemplating the best response. Or the response that wouldn't fuel the already on-edge angers. "Gennai wisely told me nothing. If that information fell into the wrong hands…"

"Are we going to get our answers?" Miyako demanded, hands glued to her hips. "I just want to go home!"

"You will get your answers in due time."

"Piximon, where are you taking us?"

He studied the redheaded female. "Gennai's headquarters."

"This is ridiculous!" Taichi couldn't contain his curiosity or temper much longer. "This is like a bad rip off of _The Matrix_ or _Harry Potter_ with all this "chosen one" stuff. Do you really expect us to believe this shit? I want answers!" ( I don't own either of them!)

"Would you cool off already?" Yamato's eyes were a deep ice blue. Poetically, they'd be deemed the jewels of the ocean. But this moment was anything but poetic. "Seriously, we'll get our answers soon enough."

"Stay out of this, Ishida."

They moved closer and sensing a fight, Ken tried to separate the two. "Come on guys. We're broken enough the way it is. There's no need to make things worse."

"He's right," Iori finally dared to speak up but was instantly silenced by Yamato's glare.

"I'm not looking for a fight, Yagami. I want answers too. I want to know why all of this," he gestured at the inhabitants of the floating bubble, "happened to all of us."

Sora couldn't hold back a snicker. All eyes turned to gaze at her. "As if you don't know how some of this shit happened in the first place."

Hearing Sora curse was a rarity, but the blond had gotten fairly used to it since their reunion the previous day. He marched over to where she was—as best as he could considering the cramped space. His eyes were emotionless and never left her. "I'm not the only one to blame for what happened. Don't go accusing me of things."

"Accusing you of things?" she retorted. "What did _I_ accuse _you_ of?"

His voice was a low growl. "You know full well, Sora. What happened with us is as much your fault as mine."

"Did I ever disregard that? What is your problem, Yamato? Why are you trying to play the hero and fix everything?"

"I think you known damn well what I'm trying to fix. I'm not trying to be a hero."

Mouth agape, Taichi stood in wonder, glancing at his two former best friends. "I take it things aren't so good in paradise."

"Maybe you'd know if you had bothered to stay in touch."

His eyes flashed dangerously in his little sister's direction. "I had my reasons. It was a personal decision."

"But did you ever stop to think that your family cared about you?"

"We all had our reasons, Hikari." Daisuke, though wanting to know why Tai had disappeared, jumped in. "There are some things you just feel like doing."

With a glare that would have made Myotismon proud, she was about to retort when another voice stepped in. "Just like you felt like getting kicked out of school and vandalizing buildings?"

Shocked at Iori's harsh words, Daisuke was unable to respond. "The rest of you felt like screwing up your lives too. So don't go yelling at him, Iori." Takeru had to shout to be heard over Yamato and Sora's full blown screaming match.

"Are you including yourself in that statement?" Iori turned his attention to the blond.

"He should be," Hikari's dislike was very much evidenced by her voice. "He may still be known anonymously, but I think it's time his Chosen of Despair penname is revealed."

"I knew it was someone in the group." In the far corner of the crowded, angry bubble, Mimi let out a shriek. "I knew it was someone from here who was leaking bad press!"

Jyou raised an eyebrow. "Is bad press the only thing you care about?"

"At least I'm doing something with my life. I haven't heard anything about you in the news."

"What would I rather be known as: a nobody or someone with a painkiller addiction?" he sardonically questioned.

Mimi let out a scream. "I can't believe I used to call you a friend!"

"Well, I can't believe I used to call _you_ a friend, Mimi. I read about you in the tabloids on the Internet and quite honestly, I have a problem deciphering fact from fiction." Koushiro joined in the conversation.

As much as she didn't want to jump in to the pink-haired girl's defense, Miyako couldn't resist a jar at the computer whiz. "Why does it not surprise me that you find out these things from the computer? Do you ever take a break from it?"

He smirked at her, though put off by her comment. "The computer gives me knowledge. I know things you would never believe. Mimi, did you know the person responsible for those rumors about your drug addiction is standing two feet to your left?"

"QUIET ALL OF YOU!"

"It's no use, friend," Piximon cautioned. "From what I've been observing, the best thing to do now is let them fight. Goodness knows it's the only way they'll communicate until they learn what has conspired in their absence. We're almost to Gennai's. Relax, Ken."

_I wish it was that easy. I really do hope we get there soon…_

_

* * *

_

The room was as lively as a funeral home. _At least no one's trying to rip each others' head off._ Ken shifted in his chair to take a glance at everyone—seated as sporadically and far away from his or her neighbor as possible.

Instead of someone dying, the boy genius knew it was the crests and powers inside those there that had greeted death. There was no positive emotion present, with the exception of his waning hope. Contempt, fear and anger fueled the light of the warm fireplace the room offered.

Gennai entered the room for the first time, not a bit surprised by the setup that he faced. He had expected it; he would have been shocked if nothing like this occurred.

No one's eyes met with the digital being's. Every pair focused on the ground, the wall…somewhere that wasn't Gennai. They were wallowing in their own apathetic lives; apathy ruled their senses now.

_But not for much longer._

"I imagine there are many questions lingering as to why you were sent here?"

"How'd you _ever_ guess that?" Yamato's sarcasm interrupted the explanation.

With a reproachful sparkle, Gennai's eyes seemed to shut the blond up. "It would serve you all best not to interrupt me when I'm in the midst of the explanation. I understand you have…patiently…been waiting for it. Save your questions till the end, and I will answer them to the best of my knowledge."

Quite honestly, he'd expected some smart-assed comment, some sort of foolish, anger-induced taunt. Thankfully, with his hopefulness growing, the long overdue explanation was presented.

"I'm quite certain you have all realized there is a new, very powerful threat to this world. He calls himself the Dark One, but none of you are new to this digimon. Long ago, in the days of the very first digidestined, it was foretold in the stars that he would strike up once more after being defeated by you. It was prophesized that the Dark One would slowly gain power, starting with your defeat of MaloMyotismon while continuing to grow as you defeated yourselves."

"Defeated ourselves?" Jyou couldn't help to interrupt.

"Shut up, Kido!" Taichi called from his reclining chair. "Some of us want to listen to this so we can get back to our pathetic lives."

"Who would've thought you'd be so keen to get back to your pathetic life, Taichi. That's right…we know absolutely nothing about it." Sora spit out. She was so un-Soralike that both Ken and Gennai were at a loss for words.

With a smirk, the former leader refused to give in. "I could say the same for you, Takenouchi."

"At least she bothered to keep in touch with people," Mimi retorted, trying to push out of her mind that she was guilty of the same vice.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" The digital being's voice had returned, magnified by the room's acoustics and the irritating feelings the chosen were causing him. _They sound more obnoxious than __Primary__Village__ during baby boom season._ "While you are here in this room, you will NOT argue, threaten or speak ill about one another. If you want to hear my explanations," he shot Yamato, who appeared ready to throw another smart comment out, a strong glance, "than you had best keep your mouths shut. Is that understood?"

A foul temper was completely uncharacteristic of Gennai. None of them, including Ken who had seen him daily for the past few years, ever saw him this way. For that reason, they wisely decided silence was the best choice.

"Thank you. You defeated yourselves by the choices and actions you made, starting at the time MaloMyotismon was defeated. By allowing yourselves to become corrupted and slowly but surely abandoning your crests, you have paved a yellow brick road for the Dark One to waltz into power. His takeover has been easier than any of the evil digimon before him. The amount of power he holds is unfathomable and his army wields that same negative energy. The Dark One has one key downfall, a weakness that, as promised in the stars, will lead to his downfall."

"You, the twelve chosen, must figure out the problems that led to your failed relationships, forgotten friendships and pick up the pieces of your crests, piling them back together to save this world and the fate of your own. Only by doing these things and bonding together as the team you_ once_ were will you succeed."

He took a deep breath and signaled with his hands that he was ready for questions. "What happened to our digimon?" Takeru asked.

Gennai's head fell at the mention of this subject. Though he knew it would be breached, he was not prepared to handle it. "The Dark One locked your digimon partners in an abyss of darkness and chaos. They've been there, tortured and wishing for death, from the second each individual crest was destroyed. One by one, with the exception of Wormmon, they have been banished there. I do not know what it will take to free them, but I'm fairly confident you will all have the power to do so, should you complete the quest ahead."

Mimi's eyes stared Gennai down. "So why did you summon us here if things are even more hopeless than when we first came? We're without any protection and are ready to flip out at each other at any minute. Why can't you just send us home?"

"It's that kind of mentality," he remained calm, "that has fueled the Dark One's takeover. You twelve and your partners are his lone threat as a complete, unified team. But as a group of individual pieces with no common bond and string that hides you together, he doesn't even have to worry about you. Giving up this easily shows how things have gone from bad to increasingly worse for your group over the years. Believe it or not, you have been connected to one another over these past five years. Ken and I have been monitoring…"

"Why does Ken know all this stuff?" Iori put up a hand.

The bearer of kindness decided to ease Gennai's role up a little. "I was summoned to the digital world a few years ago. Neither of us knows for sure why I was able to come here. Our educated guesses point to the fact that I'm the only one here who didn't betray or give up on my crest. Some of you have committed the first act while others have done nothing wrong but lost the faith. But that's the reason we're here now. We need to start over to make things right again. Don't say you don't care about this world. The digital world and its inhabitants are part of your past."

"A past I'd rather forget."

"Can't you see that selfishness will get us nowhere?" Ken demanded, rising to his feet and towering over Taichi. "We are a team; we have _always_ been a team. Being part of the team, leader or otherwise, requires us to put our selfish needs and thoughts aside. Don't you guys remember when we all promised to stand by each other despite what obstacle the digital world threw at us? Are we just going to throw that out the window? Throw out all our friendships, memories and duties?"

* * *

**Flashback**

"So, we have to tackle another new enemy," Iori mused, voicing the thoughts of all.

The lights of Christmas illuminated their walking path. All eleven and their digimon casually trudged along, each trying to take in the news. They were quickly approaching the train station that would take Ken back to his home and knew their time to discuss the game plan was very limited.

"I'm sorry I can't be of more help in identifying this new threat,"

Miyako patted the prodigy on his back. "It's not your fault, Ken. You've done enough to help us the way it is. We wouldn't have any idea about it if not for you."

"But what do we do now?" Hikari wondered.

A sad smile worked its way to Takeru's lips. "We fight, just like we always do."

Daisuke nodded at his rival. "It's our responsibility to protect the digital world."

"And we'll be there to help you out,"

Taichi grinned at Sora's statement and the apparent confusion on the younger children's faces. "Did you really think we were going to let you tackle this on your own?"

"Come on, guys," Yamato wore a wolfish smile, "we may be old, but we're not out of it. We'll make time to be there and help out in any way that we can."

"We're a team," Jyou continued the explanation. "It's only right that we do this."

"I'll call Mimi tonight. I know she'll want to be informed of the happenings. No matter what's going on with us, we'll be here to help." Koushiro affirmed.

The younger group of chosen all looked touched. Daisuke widely grinned. "Now that's teamwork…"

"Somehow I doubt that this enemy will be easy,"

"You can say that again, Hikari."

Daisuke looked between the two siblings as they walked back to their apartments after bidding Ken goodbye. "We're definitely going to be in for one heck of a fight. But we can do it. We're the digidestined!" he proudly proclaimed.

The Yagamis laughed at his enthusiasm, and the bearer of courage ruffled his mini-me's hair. "That's the kind of thing we like to hear…"

"Do you think they'll be able to accomplish this?"

Koushiro knew this sort of response would come from Jyou. _Always a bit of a worrier._ "If they believe they can and we support them, then they'll have no problem."

"It'll be nice to be involved again," the blue-haired teen answered, immediately more optimistic after Koushiro's reassurance. "And it'll be nice to be part of the team."

"I know what you mean. And think about Mimi. She's going to be very willing to help out."

Jyou chuckled. "Sora showed me the last message she sent her. It seems like New York City is a bore compared to everything we went through in the past…"

Iori and Takeru exchanged warning glances. "Miyako, you're being very uncharacteristically quiet. Is something wrong?"

She refused to meet the eye of her younger friend. "It's just…after all of this; do we still have to fight? I love going to the digital world and having adventures there, but I'm sick of all this fighting and evil enemies. Why can't things be easy for us for once?"

"We wouldn't be the digidestined if it was any other way. I know the fighting gets to be overwhelming, particularly when it seems like the end is coming up fast. But it's just one of the things we need to do so that in the future, it's there for us and the digimon to enjoy. This is one of those times I feel like being selfish and saying "I don't want to fight", but in the end, I know it's up to us to do it."

She smiled at the two boys. "Thanks for the words guys. You're right; let's get this fight started…"

"Thank you for ordering, sir. Please come again."

Yamato walked over to where Sora and their digimon were waiting for him, the two digimon both very anxious for the snack he promised. "What's this?" Gabumon asked while sniffing the drink.

"Cappuccino," the blond replied, handing a warm cup to each individual. Slowly, now with a warm drink for all, they began to head in the direction of their apartments, staying in the more shadowed areas of the park so the digimon wouldn't attract too much attention.

"Yama…I…thank you," Sora finally decided to go straight to the point. "Thank you for saving me at the concert."

"Did you really think I would let those boards crush you? What kind of guy would I be then?" he let out a light chuckle.

She rolled her eyes, peaking back at the two digimon behind them—both of whom were _trying_ to make it appear that they weren't eavesdropping in on their conversation. "You know…we're going to have to wait until we defeat this new evil to be like this."

"I know. But can't we casually be more than friends until that time? I know it sounds selfish to put us ahead of everything, but…"

"Casually more than friends works. We'll just have to wait till after we defeat this new evil before making things official."

He stopped her, turning her body to face his and lifting up her chin with his index finger. "Gives me more of a motive to fight…" he whispered before initiating a sweet first kiss…

**End Flashback**

**

* * *

**

"We're a team, like it or not. It's up to us to defeat the Dark One and save both worlds. If he is successful in conquering the digital world, earth will enter into the same darkness and apathy."

It seemed like both of their explanations were getting through. No one was emphatically leaping out of his or her seat to join in the fight, but at the same time, there was no one talking back or complaining. _Maybe, just maybe, we'll be able to accomplish this._

"What about Azulongmon and the other three guardians? Shouldn't they be able to stop this Dark One guy?"

Yamato's question wasn't asked as a hinder-some thing and Gennai understood completely what he meant. "The Dark Masters once locked the four guardians away. The Dark One did the same, and sadly, it was thanks to you all that he was able to. When you freely gave up your crests, they were responsible for freeing the guardians. However, by abandoning these traits, they were left defenseless and vulnerable to his attack."

"That's about all the bad news we should throw at you for the night," Gennai attempted to smile at the group, but it appeared none of them were paying attention, all lost in their own thoughts. He had given them plenty to muse about. "The good news is that you are all here now and have started the long process of rekindling your gifts and traits. It won't be an easy quest. Tomorrow, I will send you off on your way. I have no idea what you must go through to individually earn back your crests. Nothing like this has ever happened before. It will most likely come as a result of trial and error. But rest up tonight. Tomorrow is a big day."

A silent stalemate had been formed, at least for the time being. No one anticipated this stagnant cross-fire and serenity to remain among the chosen. All twelve knew not to expect anything that great. "I'll lead you all to your rooms. Gennai will call you when supper is ready," Ken called out. Gennai's house wasn't used often, as the Resistance assumed the Dark One and his minions would stake it out, ready to attack it. But for the time being, it was the best, most comfortable place to house the twelve.

"Gennai," Hikari timidly spoke up, "who is this Dark One? You said we have fought him before. Is he…is he another incarnation of Myotismon?"

The digital being wearily sighed. "That he is not, Hikari. You and the second group of chosen were responsible for his defeat, but the original group also dealt with him. Daemon…"

A collective understanding sunk around the room. The battle lines had been drawn. The teams were formed. An explosion of good and bad had rocked this world, threatening to travel to their own planet. It was up to them, but hesitation and wariness would prevent them from working together the way they needed to. It was the beginning of something. It was the end of another. It was foretold in the stars, finally coming true before their eyes. It was up to them to solve their problems—however long that would take—before going on to save their loved ones. It was time to begin rediscovering destiny…

**A/N: I'm so sorry it took me this long to get this out. Right now, I'm trying to balance my homework, college visits, scholarship essays and a whole bunch of other crap I'd rather not think about. But I'm going to do my best to keep updating despite how busy I get. I just apologize in advance if it's a while in-between updates. Next chapter of this will begin the quest toward team unity and all that to defeat Daemon. More questions—I probably left a lot of questions marks—will be revealed. Things will slowly progress and this story won't be done for quite some time. Please review!**

**Oh, the names in the myth at the beginning came from Greek mythology. Cronus and Rhea were the father and mother of the gods and goddesses. Cronus was later killed by Zeus. The myth and predictions here are significant to the plot; keep that in mind for the future. And the flashback dealt with the infamous Christmas Episode…:grins: Please review!**

**And please keep those affected by the hurricane in ****New Orleans, ****Louisiana**** and in ****Mississippi**** in your thoughts and prayers… **


	10. And I Won't Forget

Rediscovering Destiny

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!

**_Inconnu:_**_ I don't think I've ever read the word "lovely" that much before. Lol. But it's all good. Glad you got the internet back, though I've told you that before!_

**_DJ-SD:_**_ It's a good cd; don't you think? I just bought his new one a week ago, and I've probably worn it out. It helps me focus when I'm trying to write stuff. The song just seemed to fit with the story…do you agree?_

**_A Hopeless Romantic:_**_ I'm going to say it now, and keep this in mind for the entire story: **Everything I write holds some sort of purpose.** I try to foreshadow big time and leave a lot of clues as to different events. If something isn't clear now, chances are that it will be in the future…or I wrote it and didn't think about what I'm writing to you now. Lol. The flashback question can be answered by what I just wrote. No, I don't know what happened to Dark White Wolf. Last time I checked, she had began posting under another name and sort of drifted from the digimon section. I know where Wandering Rain is, but I'm still trying to figure out where crazyamzy disappeared to…_

**_Kuroi Black Nightingale:_**_ Yes, romantic tension will be involved, and yes, this will be a pretty long fic. 30 chapters if I'm not mistaken._

**_Sorato-takari:_**_ An essay on the first day of school? That sucks. Even my teachers weren't that mean._

**_Ballet Kitty:_**_ Like I said before, there will be some michi in the flashbacks, but there will be no defined Mimi coupling._

**_Watase Jr.:_**_ Practice, practice, practice and more practice. Believe me, when I first started writing, it was horrible. I can help you out if you want me to, but the best thing you can do is to keep writing. You learn and develop the more you do things. –whispers- The flashbacks do hold a very big part in this story. In a nutshell, Sora went to give Yamato cookies before his concert. Taichi met her there and subtly asked her if she was going to the concert with anyone. She said no because she wanted to be available in case Yamato was free afterward. Taichi pushed her forward into the concert hall and encouraged her to go to Yamato. During the concert, digimon attack it. Sora gets caught in the hall, looking for Biyomon, and a bunch of boards come flying towards her. Yamato runs over and basically pushes her out of harm's way. I think that's about it, or at least all I can think of. So, hope I answered your questions!_

**_Mrs. Ishida-to-you:_**_ Glad I'm not alone in that thought!_

**_Shadow's song:_**_ Thank you for the patience and dedication!_

**_JyouraKoumi:_**_ Yeah, my aunt lives down by New Orleans, and it took a couple of days for us to get in contact with her. But she was fine, and her house is all right._

**_Moppy:_**_ Add this chapter in, and you've got the introduction to the story. But more about that at the bottom._

**_Eiliriel:_**_ Emotionally driven chapter. Hmm…I kind of like the sound of that. I'm sure more of those will come!_

**_Wishinstahhz:_**_ Sora's not the only one who has changed…_

**_Calare:_**_ I don't think I actually answered the question though. So therefore, I am still not evil. I'm just twisted. :D Extra bonus points? Do I get any this chapter? I hope so. Lol. Thanks for all the nice words, as always. _

Chapter 10: And I Won't Forget

It happened in the most unexpected of ways. There he was, powerless and feeling incapacitated, trapped behind an opaque screen of nothingness. There was no escape. There was no difference between night and day. There was nothing at all.

But then…there was something.

He awoke from his forced slumber, eyes turning into tiny slits at the outside force. Dark energy; glorious dark light! Streaming into the depths of the bubble he'd been confined to, this power soaked into his body like he was a sponge. And more just kept coming to him. Day and night, he fed upon the negative energy, slowly regaining his strength and wits.

But who was providing him with such a source of nourishment?

Surely that human-lover Gennai still controlled the two worlds. He was a crazy czar, a benevolent dictator…everyone was stupid for believing he was looking out for them. He had the four guardians wrapped around his crooked little fingers. And certainly these omniscient guardians would be monitoring and maintaining the flow of positive and negative vibes in the world.

He was pretty sure it was not a result of his brethren. His fool of a father—if he'd even honor the creature by calling him that—had not been heard of in millennia. Not that he cared. That manipulating idiot Apocalymon was long gone too. Devimon, the fallen Angel of Light and the witch LadyDevimon that he made his queen of hell, were defeated by Light and Hope, two of the most insignificant of forces. And Myotismon ran out of all his lives, choosing to throw them away without doing anything. They were all weak. None were worthy of ruling the digital world and wielding a power that had never been seen before. That just left him, the most worthy and the smartest.

In his opinion, at least.

But still, how did he absorb all of this spectacular energy that now was releasing him from his bonds? The digidestined also controlled…unless…

Yes, he recalled the prophecy foretold during the defeat of his father and eldest brother. "_But the last son was the most dangerous. The twelve children would temporarily lock him into darkness. But he would feed off the darkness, gaining more power, ready to strike when they destroyed the digital world."_

No one would think that he'd listen to the prophecies they foretold. Did all assume he was stupid? He knew what they were saying about him. Observation was everything. One does not necessarily learn things by talking. By listening and being as silent as the night sky, he understood what was foretold of him. The prophecy to his kingship was being fulfilled before his eyes. Nothing could stop his takeover.

It was child's play now. The damn children had given up. Gennai had no power. The digital world was his for the taking. The guardians now would be the ones confined to the abyss of darkness along with those blasted digimon the digidestined all had.

He broke through the invisible bonds. The time was now. Daemon was not stupid. It was time to gain what was rightfully his…

* * *

"Fair is foul, and foul is fair,"

Ken glanced up at his mentor, confused at the paradox that greeted him. The others retired to bed per Gennai's request. It would be a long day, and they were not accustomed to the atmosphere of this "new digital world". They needed all the strength and revitalization sleep could provide. "I don't quite follow you, Gennai."

The man slowly treaded to his bookshelf, brushing the dust off the ancient cover of an, obviously, human book. "Fair is foul, and foul is fair; hover through the fog and filthy air." Ken didn't look anymore understanding. On the contrary, he was even more confused. "Shakespeare's _Macbeth._"

"So?" He was familiar with the work of literature but didn't see the underlying meaning or relevance of it. "It's good you have some literature that you appreciate, but I don't see how it plays into the situation we find ourselves in."

"Let's examine the line, then. What the witches are saying translates into good is bad, and bad is good, hidden behind darkness and trouble."

One of the few annoyances Ken had with Gennai was his "teacher mode" at a time when he didn't want to nor felt the need to be taught. "I really do not understand you, Gennai. It's a paradox. How can something be bad and good at the same time?"

"You have to realize, my friend that the quote refers to appearances and the deceiving nature they can take on. Look at the rest of the chosen. There is good inside every one of them; there is no question in my mind. But they have opted to hide that good ethical being deep inside them, allowing their crests to malfunction and backfire. Do you remember the story I told you about Taichi when he first got his crest?" He quickly nodded, wanting the digital being to get back to his story. "By allowing his vice of cowardice to take over, Taichi forfeited his digimon's power to digivolve until he managed to regain his courage and understanding of why it was his best asset."

"So, you mean that there's a sort of anti-crest to each of our crests?" Gennai merely nodded, feeling no explanation was needed for this. "Is that what made it possible for Daemon to take over?" Another thought stuck Ken. "Does that mean that even if we find the digimon, it will be of no use because they will go through a dark-digivolution?"

Gennai held up a hand, setting down the play in his hands and motioning for Ken to take a seat. "I will answer all of your questions. Yes, they are "anti-crests" in a sense, but there is no tangible crest to stand for each. Sir Isaac Newton once proved that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In our case, the action is the pure, positive feelings the crests represent. Unfortunately the negative thoughts and feelings the destined have allowed to take over pulled the reaction, a dark energy, out into the digital world. And that gave Daemon the ability to break free from the Dark Ocean and initiate his takeover."

"What does each person's anti-crest symbolize?"

"First, I'm going to offer an explanation for your question regarding the digimon. By forfeiting his or her crest, each person was responsible for locking up his or her partner. One by one, as these negative reactions to things the chosen did and said came into existence, the digimon were thrown in an abyss of darkness, similar to where the four guardians are being locked. However, it is possible to destroy the bonds confining the digidestined's partners. By rediscovering individual crests and the traits the higher powers bestowed on each chosen, one by one the digimon will be free and will have the ability to digivolve normally rather then for the dark side."

Ken wasn't ready to interrupt, and the digital being knew this. "Obviously Taichi's anti-crest is cowardice. Agumon was locked away when Taichi fled from his home without any notice to anyone else. One knows running from a problem will not find an answer. That is what Taichi must discover soon. Yamato's crest of friendship is opposite to the feelings of animosity and enmity. Friendship is such a valuable asset to anyone. But as connection was lost between everyone and mistakes made, Yamato lost faith in its abilities. He must realize again that friendship knocks down walls, while hatred and loathing only build them higher."

"Sora's anti-crest is apathy."

"Wait a minute. Isn't hatred the opposite of love?"

A weak smile graced the being's face. "Everyone is always quick to assume that. But loving and hatred have something in common: to show those traits is to _feel_ something. Apathy is the complete opposite. If one is apathetic, he or she could care less. Sora needs to understand that relationships and tattered bonds cannot be fixed on their own. She must seek out those, like Yamato, and work out things between them if she hopes to see Piyomon once more. "

"Hope and Light are easy to tell. The Prayer of Saint Francis, used by Christians, actually lists this within it: _where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light…_"

Ken, in his days as Digimon Emperor with the dark spore embedded in his body, had once known that prayer. But something did not strike true with it. "But doesn't the same prayer say that '_Where there is hatred, let me sow love'_? Wouldn't that make love the antithesis of hatred?"

"It's a commonly preconceived notion that the opposite of love is hate. But as I explained before, to hate is to show an emotion. If you are apathetic towards a person, you can be even crueler than to hate him or her. Just look at the way Sora is to Yamato."

He had to agree with Gennai on that one. "I think I understand why Takeru and Hikari have given up. Takeru has basically become his anti-crest under the Chosen of Despair. And Hikari seems to have given into the darkness after everything that has happened."

"Correct. They both need to use each other along with everyone else to find their traits once more. Takeru and Hikari must be under the impression that they are not alone and that everyone believes there is a chance to succeed."

"Mimi's anti-crest is indulgence. Hollywood transformed her pure and sincere self and took it away from us. In order for her to return to the way she used to be, she has to show the same selflessness and caring for others that she once did. Jyou's reliability is the opposite of his now ambition. It's not as obvious as Macbeth's in the play, but didn't Jyou leave the group so he could focus on his studies? That reason is not greedy or overly ambitious, but the way he's gone about things since then has made it that way. Gomamon will come back once Jyou can conquer this and know that the others really do depend on him. Ignorance took over Koushiro. Yes, he still carries his great knowledgeable mind, but he gave into the bad side. Look at his occupation. It spells that out. He needs to be greeted by a taste of good knowledge and what it can accomplish."

It was a lot of information to take in for one night. Ken had no idea why Gennai hadn't brought it up before, but he was too tired to ask. But there was still one question that haunted his mind. "Do I have an anti-crest?"

"Everyone has an anti-crest buried deep within themselves, be they digidestined or not. Our anti-crest is the opposite of our strongest trait. At times, this negative karma will flow from us, but it only succeeds in anarchy if we let it. We have to take a stand against it and realize our flaw before it's too late. Cruelty and malice were your vices. However, you fought with their destructive powers as Digimon Emperor and successfully warded them off. For that reason, you knew to avoid them now, and that is why you find yourself with your crest and digimon." Gennai paused, placing a hand on Ken's shoulder. "I think that's about all the bad news you can handle for one day. Things will hopefully look up in the morning. Tomorrow is a new day…"

* * *

"Why are we leaving so early?" Mimi moaned as she let out another yawn. The sun's rays were beginning to dance around in the sky. Too bad no one else had the same energy. It was early, too early for most of them. The digital world and the time change was unlike anything they could remember. Everyone, with the exception of Ken, felt drained and sleepy. Daemon's dark world was feeding off their still negative feelings for each other, and the anti-crests that were hidden behind the surface.

_Fair is foul, and foul is fair._

"I'm pretty sure we all ready covered that, Mimi."

"Shove it, Tai," she venomously shot back. "It was a rhetorical question."

"Wow, big vocabulary word. How long did it take you to learn that one?"

If his counting was precise, Ken was certain this was argument number twenty-three since Gennai had ushered them out of his house half an hour ago. Sure, each one had been a tiny little skirmish, but they'd been as annoying as hell. He assumed everyone, in their tired cranky state, would either behave two ways. Ken was hoping and praying they'd just avoid each other. Avoidance meant no fights, no insults and no chance of alerting Daemon and his flunkies where their coordinates were.

But did that happen? Dream on…

First it had been the debate about which direction to go. Then the argument arose regarding why they were up so early. From there, insults were flung left and right. No one would cooperate with one another. It was a jumbled soap opera. Ken was still trying to figure out who was on good terms with another so he could get something worked out. But at the moment, nothing was going right.

"You think you're so great…"

"I think _I'm_ so great? Please do us all a favor and look in the mirror then."

"How dare you!"

"Would you kindly shut the hell up?" Yamato barked at the two arguing teens. "Some of us could care less how big each of your egos are. I can't even hear myself think."

Takeru gave his brother a very incredulous look. "This coming from the famous rock star? Maybe you should check your own inflated head out."

"Do the same while you're at it, Mr. Chosen of Despair." Kari's hands flew to her hips as she stared the younger blond in the eye.

"Wait a minute. _You're _the Chosen of Despair?" Yamato couldn't believe it. "You were the one writing all the shit about me? I asked you if you had any idea who it was, and you blatantly lied to my face!"

"Could you be any blonder?" Sora let off a haughty laugh. "How could you not see that it was Takeru? Didn't you know anything about your brother, Yama? Maybe you're more to blame for failed relationships than I thought."

"Stay out of it. You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Why don't you make me stay out of it?"

"Why don't you both shut up?" Jyou yelled.

"Why don't _you_ shut up?" Sora and Yamato bellowed in unison.

The aspiring doctor shrank back. "Sorry I said anything. Sorry I'm even here at all. It's not like I'm doing any good. But then again, none of the rest of you are either. So I fit right in."

"You'd probably know stuff about us if you kept in touch."

Miyako couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You're not one to talk about keeping in touch, Tachikawa. Anytime someone tried to contact you, all he or she got was a picture that said "with love, Mimi". How is that keeping in touch?"

"Well I'm pretty sure I never got anything from you either, Miyako, and we lived a floor apart." Iori had stayed out of the majority of the arguments, using that avoidance technique Ken had been hoping everyone would. But he was tired, crabby and very fed up of people trying to throw pity parties for themselves. "Bring some cheese and crackers to go with your wine."

"Iori, did you try and keep in touch with any one of us?" Koushiro demanded. "Because, in the span of five years, I think I heard from you once." The boy's ears tinted pink. "That's what I thought."

Daisuke rolled his eyes. "You probably sat in front of a computer everyday, Koushiro. Wouldn't that give you a good chance to e-mail and talk to people?"

_Foul is fair, and fair is foul._

Ken let out a monstrous groan, not caring a bit if the Dark One's forces heard him. This was completely and utterly ridiculous! They were best friends, partners…sure they were allowed to fight, but not like this. "Arguing is getting us absolutely nowhere. Would you all just STOP TALKING?" He hadn't lost his temper like that in a long time. Finally, it happened, but Ken was glad it was this way. Kindness and cordiality were out the window. If they were to accomplish anything, maybe being rude was the way to go. "I'm sick of all your bitching and bickering. Now I don't give a rat's ass about how much you hate another member of the team, or why you want to go home. We're stuck here until we fix the chaos we've caused. And if we're going to be here together, we are going to be _tolerant _of one another. Everyone here is part of the team, and we were all friends at one point in our life. Can you all not remember that…"

* * *

"Make-up? I don't know guys. I'm all for looking good, but isn't this a little feminine?"

Yamato snickered from his seat a few yards away as a plump woman dabbed some powder on Taichi's face. The bearer of courage flinched as her long pink nails came into contact with his face again. "It's for the camera, Tai," Sora giggled as she, too, was entertained by Taichi's reluctance for make-up.

"Why isn't this bothering you, Yama?"

He let out a bored yawn as a different woman touched up his make-up. "We do this for the band when there's television gigs. At first the guys and I were a little freaked out, but we've gotten used to this."

"Make-up is for girls!"

"I don't know," Yamato glanced at the pretty redhead a few seats away from him. "Not everyone needs make-up…"

"I know I don't!"

Sora grinned back at her boyfriend. "I don't quite think he was referring to you, Tai."

"Yeah, you're one of those people that doesn't even benefit from A LOT of this stuff…"

"Wow, look at this selection of food!"

Koushiro laughed as both Daisuke and Ken's eyes grew to the size of saucers. The whole group had survived make-up, hair and seen more clothes in the dressing rooms than in all their apartments put together, even Mimi's. Now, they patiently awaited their first live interview in the green room. Food was all over the place, but despite how appetizing it appeared and how their mouths were beginning to water, no one ate it. Getting sick in front of millions of viewers and hundreds of studio guests would not be a good thing.

Mimi was trying her best not to bite her freshly manicured nails as her nerves kicked in. She stood in a corner by Miyako, Kari and Sora, all babbling on about who knows what. They were each nervous, and it was very apparent in their behavior. "I hope we're not this jittery on the screen," Hikari let out a light laugh.

"You can say that again," Sora's eyes looked around the room, hoping something familiar would calm her nerves. It appeared everyone was a bit out of character as the minutes till their interview began lessened. Sure, they were hanging out and repeating habitual actions, but none of the results came off as very normal. Yamato and Takeru were sitting on one of the leather couches, locked in some sort of video game.

"Jeez, Yama. Can't you even put up a fight? That's the fifth straight time I've beaten you?"

The older teen glared at his brother. "Shove it, Keru. I can kick your butt no problem when we play this back in Odaiba."

"Well, what's your excuse here?"

"Jet lag."

Taichi, Ken and Daisuke were attempting to explain the game of soccer to Koushiro, Iori and Jyou. The latter couldn't seem to grasp the finer points of the game, and it was beginning to drive the three soccer stars mad.

"So what exactly is the point of the game?"

It seemed like Tai's eyes cut a hole through the blue-haired boy. "What's the point? You want to score goals. A goal is scored anytime the ball crosses over the goal line."

"But what's the point?" Iori repeated the question. "Why's soccer so great. No offense guys, but it's really not that entertaining to watch."

"What's not to like?" Daisuke couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What _isn't_ there to like? There's such a rush out there when you're playing. And it's amazing to watch the individual skills of each player, and how he or she uses those talents to help out the team. It's an individual sport and a team one. And on the plus side, it can get kind of physical, and you get a chance to trip someone or knock them over without getting yelled at. Most of the time, at least."

Koushiro was trying his best not to laugh. "I don't think I've ever gotten that impression from watching it."

"Haven't we had this conversation too many times before? Why are we repeating it again? The three of us have done everything in our power to convince you of the finer points regarding the sport, yet I'm fairly confident none of it is sinking in." Ken shook his head. "But as much as I'd like to continue this stalemate of an argument, it looks like it's time for the interview to start…"

"Yes, let's hear it once again for the saviors of our world." Daisuke didn't like the sound of the host's voice. He'd come to loath it within the very first seconds of the interview. It was completely fake, cloaked with sugary sweetness. Apparently, the man assumed the chosen would spill everything in their souls if he patronized them._ I think he misjudged us._ "So, how would you all begin to describe the immense changes in your lives since becoming celebrities?"

"We're the same normal people." Jyou unsteadily said, biting his lip in confusion. "Why would we be any different? It's not like we really did anything to deserve all this celebrity treatment?"

"Certainly you did. You saved our world!"

Koushiro ran a hand through his hair. "We weren't the only ones, nor are we the only set of digidestined. I think they deserve more of an honor and lauding than we do." He looked around at his friends. "Don't you guys?"

"Yeah,"

"Of course,"

"Definitely,"

"My, aren't the lot of you humble?" Clearly, the host hadn't been anticipating answers like that. "But, truly, you cannot deny that you did nothing."

Taichi gave a sheepish smile. "It's kind of difficult to deny that. But we didn't do anything spectacular. We just did what we had to do. The digital world is our second home. And we couldn't let MaloMyotismon destroy it or the real world."

The host looked incredibly baffled. His eyes searched around, hoping for some sort of commercial break or interruption.

But there was none.

"I'm going to pretend I understand what you just said. How about we turn things over to the audience. I know they're all anxious to ask some questions. You there, in the pink; why don't you start us off?"

The teenage girl, probably in her later years, giggled at being addressed by the famous host. She turned her attention to the group and blushed crimson. "My question is for Matt." She received no answer, no acknowledgement that he had heard her. "Matt?"

The digidestined whispered among themselves, as lost as the host was. "Who's Matt?" Hikari whispered to Miyako.

"I have no idea,"

Yamato and Iori exchanged confused glances. The audience gossiped around them, wondering why he hadn't answered the questions. "Yamato, she's talking to you. Matt is what they'd call you here in America." Mimi nudged him.

"It's Yamato," he finally answered her.

"Oh…well, my question is…" Giggle, "Are you," giggle, "single? Or are you taken?" Giggle.

The audience laughed along with the question as Yamato comprehended it. Things were hard enough with the whole Japanese-English barrier. Anyone who thought they could naturally come to another country and understand everything said to them and know exactly how to say everything they were thinking needed to be shot in the head. He and the others had studied English in school, but there was something a lot different about classes and actual situations. One cannot capture every element of a language unless he or she experiences it. There's no way dialects, slang and pronunciations can be covered one hundred percent in classes. Yama knew all the others were experiencing the same thing. And if you add that into the questions—particularly this question—and the rest of the stress they were experiencing from the interviews, well, this wasn't the easiest thing.

He casually glanced at Sora, catching her eye and hoping that she could somehow channel the right words into his mind. They had discussed this beforehand and mentioned their conclusion the others. Don't talk about the relationship; keep it hidden for now. Really, was it anyone else's business that they were together? The media would just blow things out of proportion and probably send the relationship on one-way trip to inexistence.

"I'm only fourteen," was the answer he came up with. "Nothing is serious at fourteen." He really hoped he wasn't offending Sora by anything he said. He'd have to pull her aside later and explain his logic to her. Maybe buy her some flowers or something to go with it. "Serious relationships shouldn't be…leapt?...into at this age. And if, per say, I was involved with someone, I probably would choose not to inform the media…"

Twenty-two minutes and forty-six seconds later, the interview was over. The host and his audience members had thrown every possible question at the group of chosen. Iori nearly got ignored, as the crowd wanted to focus on the older children. But the chosen managed to keep him involved. Daisuke and Taichi were drilled about their hair. The questions centered a lot around the girls, and truthfully, it didn't really bother the guys. Jyou and Koushiro opted to answer the more challenging questions while Ken and Yamato were plagued by their looks and constantly repeated what Yamato had stated earlier.

"Too bad that was just the first of many interviews," Jyou sighed as they all strolled back into the green room.

"I was expecting it to be a lot worse," Iori stated. "But I guess, considering I hardly answered any questions, that would explain a lot."

Daisuke grinned down at the younger boy. "Hey, I would've gladly traded with you."

"Me too," Ken collapsed onto one of the chairs. "If another girl asks me about…"

"I will personally see to it that she doesn't talk about you," Miyako was fuming, mumbling the threat to Kari. The brunette did everything she could not to laugh, and Takeru caught onto the joke as well.

"Just imagine our team as a famous band, Iori. There are the ones the girls flock to, the goofy ones, the geniuses, the pretty girls and then us: the ones everyone looks up to. That's where we fit into, my friend." the younger blond supplied.

Yamato fought the urge to laugh. "I know which category I fit into, but I'm not sure about you, little brother." Sora coughed rather noticeably. "Of course, we're both in the role model category."

"Well, at least one good thing came out of it," Taichi boldly pronounced.

"What's that?" both Mimi and Sora wondered.

He wore a goofy smile as he loaded up his plate. "We can't let this food go to waste. Let's eat…"

* * *

"I don't know if you all remember those good times we shared as friends or if you just choose not to. But if we're ever going to save this land or even think about going back to earth, then you'd better remember them. _Like it or not._"

"Ken, maybe you should…"

"Let me finish, Koushiro. I don't know for sure how we're all supposed to mend our broken relationships, but Gennai and I both think that…"

Mimi's ears perked up. "Ken, you really need to…"

"Let me finish!" he shouted out. "…we're all going to have to do it individually somehow. We don't know for certain what it will require of us, but…"

Taichi pushed Ken down as clumps of trash came soaring at him. "Maybe you should stop talking about that and figure out what the hell is going on here right now!"

The bearer of kindness looked around and mentally kicked himself. He had constantly been berating the others for yelling and shouting, only to realize he had done it himself. And he had led the Dark One's spies to their coordinates. _This is just fantastic._

"Duck!" Iori cried out as another round of materials shot out at them. "What do we do, Ken?"

"We have to run," he shouted back as the group of digimon—previously unknown to him—rapidly advanced on them.

The four Garbagemon got ready to fire again. No one wanted to face them, but there was no way all twelve could run in the same direction. The Garbagemon had them clumped in groups of three, separated and ready to be wiped out.

"Run!" Ken shouted. "We'll all have to meet up later! Our digivices will guide us to each other. Be smart about who you trust! You have to be careful out here. We'll all meet up soon!" he cried out, before ducking behind the tree and then running after Miyako and Daisuke.

Taichi, Koushiro and Hikari all made a mad dash for the closest group of trees, hoping their dense area would provide refuge till they could figure out what could be done. While that group headed west, Iori, Jyou and Mimi fled to the east, choosing to run straight down a wooden road towards a bridge. They had no plan other than to escape death, if only for the time being. And the last group, Yamato, Takeru and Sora, sprinted north, seeing a large hilly region in the backdrop and hoping that would provide them some shelter and safety.

Ken forced himself to avoid all the roots and trees as he followed the other two through the forest. The Garbagemon was beginning to fall back, unable to keep up with their rigorous speed. He couldn't believe it had come to this. Just when they all needed to be together, they ended up separate. _And it's our luck that the groups ended up the way they did. Maybe it could help us if we can mend the differences in small groups instead of large groups. We won't know until we try something. But things could backfire on us._

He caught up to Miyako and Daisuke and motioned for them to rest behind a tree. "Garbagemon are naturally slow. He most likely lost our scent or just ended up giving up when he got short on breath."

"At least there's _some_ good news to our days. We won't be killed off yet."Daisuke sarcastically replied. "But maybe that's not such a good thing."

"Stop being such a drama queen," the lone female barked at him.

They started up their bickering again, and things got worse as a crack of thunder sounded around them and the rainstorm began. The bickering turned to complaining, and Ken really wished he was anywhere but here. _Fair is foul, and foul is fair…_

**-End of Prologue of Rediscovering Destiny-**

A/N: I finally finished this! I'm so happy! Lol! Well, I'm sure there are a lot of questions out there, particularly with what I ended the chapter with. Chapters 1-10 served as a general prologue for this story, introducing the different elements and main ideas of this story. Things pick up immensely in the next (I think) 20 chapters. From next chapter onward, the story will be about actually rediscovering destiny, getting the group back together, regaining lost powers and finding a way to defeat Daemon once and for all.

I know I made a lot of references to different works and sources in here, so I'll try and explain through them. Shakespeare's** _Macbeth_**, ironically enough, happens to be the play my Literature class is reading at the moment. For those of you not familiar with the play, it revolves around a man named Macbeth and his wife Lady Macbeth. Three witches tell Macbeth that he will gain the title of king and the first half of the play revolves around his ambition to become king, his plotting to kill Duncan, the present king, and Lady Macbeth's manipulative nature that convinces Macbeth to go through with the deed. The line "Foul is fair, and fair is foul," seemed very appropriate for everything within the story and this one.

**Newton****'s Third Law** **of Motion **states that for every action, there will be an equal and opposite reaction. Who would have thought that the one thing I've actually managed to learn in physics would help me develop the "anti-crest" idea.

And** The Prayer of Saint Francis** is commonly used in the Christian communities and plays reference to many of the different virtues and their vices. I thought I'd just throw it in to reinforce my points.

Okay, I think that's everything I can think of. I know I'm forgetting a couple. So if you spot them and have questions, let me know. I'm going on two college visits in the next week and a half, so (knock on wood) hopefully I can get **Undercover** and bits of **I'm What?** done. Thanks for your patience and for sticking with this story. Once some of the others finish and I get my last college application in, I'll have more time to work on stories. Please review and let me know what you think and if you have any questions or comments!

Ooh, one last thing: here's a hint for next chapter: something good does happen! But that's all I'm saying. If you can figure out the name of next chapter, you may get a hint…Review!


	11. The Way You Loved Me

Rediscovering Destiny

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!

**Okay, I updated this at 2:30 today, but the link would only show up on my computer. So I'm trying things out again. Hopefully they work out. To those of you getting story alerts for this, I'm sorry if I'm bombarding you with them--I just want to get this chapter up!**

**I never realized there are so many physics fans out there. And they're all reading this story. I'll try to tie some more of that kind of stuff in here, once I understand it for myself. To _shadow's song_, yes the title's are based off the song "On the Way Down" by Ryan Cabrera.Please review everyone!**

**Book 1 - "Rediscovering"**

Chapter 11: The Way You Loved Me

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. Okay, so it probably wasn't the best of times. Agumon strained his eyes through the dark, trying to see everything around him. Being located here, in this dark, cramped, mossy abyss wasn't exactly his idea of a good time. It had been weeks, months, maybe even years since he and the others had last seen the light of day and the freedom they'd once enjoyed. And he'd started to believe he'd never witness the phenomenon of light and goodness again.

While he couldn't see the others around him, he knew they were present from the constant breathing and moving in a pointless attempt to get situated in a somewhat comfortable position. Yep, it was pointless alright. All of it was. He'd long since given up believing Taichi and the others would jump in and rescue them, bringing everything back to the way it had been.

Agumon didn't know what to think anymore. He and the other chosen digimon had compared stories from the minute they realized there was no escaping from this prison and their partners apparently didn't give a whim for them anymore. Each story was shockingly similar. All were minding their own business, participating in the normal comings and goings of the digital world, when it happened.

First a bolt of electricity. It was no ordinary bolt; ordinary lightning strikes don't hit your heart, plummet into your soul and elicit your greatest fears and terrors right before your eyes. The pain was numbing. You couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't do much of anything.

But you didn't die.

It was meant to be barbarically torturous. Pain and distress were the symptoms. You wanted nothing more to die, to end your life from the worst experiences you'd ever had, but death escaped you.

Then came the vanishing. One moment you were surrounded by light and goodness; you were full of energy and full of life; you could do anything you set your mind to and overcome any obstacle life threw your way; you were in your element, surrounded by those closest to you and your best friends; you were free and immune to any threat of darkness.

But that isn't the case anymore. Now you are fighting claustrophobia and the urge to scream; you want out but can't find the exit; you crave some sort of light or beam to enlighten anything around you; you can feel the hope and optimism float out with every breath you take; you are trapped in a hole of darkness that is swallowing your very being…and you just don't care anymore.

And the darkness. It was captivatingly destructive. It eats you up, condemning you to a life full of loneliness, fear and distress. There was nothing more, nothing less.

_It is definitely the worst of times._

Agumon didn't need to ask the others if they were in the same boat he was. It was simply inferred. He didn't know what had caused this imprisonment. It was like all good had simply disappeared from the face of the digital world in a series of fleeting seconds. There were seven of the other chosen digimon already present when he had arrived. Three more joined them, making up the whole crew.

Except one. . .

By process of elimination, it was obvious to see that Wormon had somehow escaped the clutches of darkness and remained out there somewhere, hopefully putting up a good fight. That was one of the few hopes Agumon had managed to carry with him over the period he and the others had been here. He let out a long sigh. . .

"…I can hear one of you breathing. Stop."

The idea of a guard seemed a bit contradictory to Agumon. As it was pitch black and there seemed to be invisible barriers chaining the digimon inside it, there really was no need for a guard. In Agumon's eyes, putting Deputymon as a guard was another way to keep a worthless flunky occupied.

_If only there was…what's going on?_

Agumon found himself looking at Deputymon. Actually _looking_ at him. He squinted, trying to adjust to the sudden sepia-tone light that had somehow found its way into the depths of darkness. The power source, whatever it was, was coming from the far corner. He glanced over at the corner, and the others around him were doing the same thing. It was obvious where the source was coming from. But just as soon as it had appeared, it was gone, ridding the cage of one of its occupants. . .

* * *

"JUNK CRUNCHER!"

Sweat poured down her face, mixing with the steady rainfall. Sora ducked down as she leapt over a fallen tree branch and narrowly missed the attack the Garbagemon threw her direction. She brushed fallen strands of hair out of her eyes as she glanced at her surroundings. Takeru was out in the lead, obviously in the best physical condition. Yamato straggled behind—_doesn't surprise me—_but was still close enough to the other two.

"We have to find a way to lose them," she panted out.

"Thank you Captain Obvious,"

Takeru turned his head briefly to look at the two. "Can you at least control your bickering until we find safe ground?"

"Well this rate," Yamato paused, dodging a flying pellet, "it's not looking like we're going to find anywhere safe."

Sora fought back the urge to snicker. "Ever the pessimist, huh Yamato?"

"More like the realist."

"What part of stop arguing don't you two understand?"

Takeru hadn't fallen into the category of leader over the past few years, but he wasn't going to let his brother's and Sora's arguing hinder an escape. Teamwork was the last thing on his mind; it hadn't kept them together so what were the odds it would help them now. _It's a dog eat dog world out there; every man for himself._

With a burst of speed, pushed on by his want to continue his life until at least the age of eighteen and the realization that the Garbagemon—albeit slow individuals—were keeping up quite well with the three of them, Takeru took off sprinting.

_What's he playing at?_ Yamato was well aware he wasn't in the greatest shape; there was no question about it. But he was keeping a decent pace, as was Sora. _He'd better not think about leaving us behind. We're not going to get out of this place alive again if some of us die today._

"Takeru, get back here!" Sora apparently had the same idea. "We have to stick together!"

Rain poured down harder, and visibility was a thing of the past. Knowing that they were right and grudgingly admitting it, Takeru slowed down a bit. But it was like the blind leading the blind. While this heavy downpour continued to hinder the three chosen, it was at least proving to be a blind spot for their pursuers, as well.

"Are they still following us?"

"I don't know," Yamato wheezed out. "But this is getting ridiculous. We have to find somewhere to hide."

"…which is obviously what we've been trying to do this whole time," Sora couldn't help but say. If looks could kill, the digidestined would have been defeated there on the spot.

"Again with the whole fighting thing," Takeru cautioned.

Yamato didn't want to put up with this anymore. "Look, let's just find someplace and then we can yell and scream all we want to." He started to walk, stumbling over a branch as he staggered off in an unknown direction towards an unknown destination.

The other two, not wanting to be left behind, tried to follow the eldest of the group. "Ouch!"

"Ouch!"

"Jeez you two!"

Takeru faced his brother. He didn't like the cold; he didn't like the rain; he didn't like the constant bickering; and he most assuredly did not like being stuck here with the two people in whose company he found himself in. So they were greeted with his anger. "Well if some idiot wouldn't have stopped in the freaking middle of nowhere, we wouldn't be in this predicament!"

"Do you really think I stopped just so I'd get crashed into by two people, who I might add are not the lightest when put together? There's something down here; it's like a hole or something built into this hill. I think it's a house of some sort."

"Friend or foe?" Sora posed the question on each mind.

Takeru could hear the sounds of confused Garbagemon in the distance. "I don't think we really have the time to debate that question." _It's amazing what teamwork will do for you; hard to believe I'm thinking it about these two._

"I think there's only one thing we can do." Yamato squinted under the continuous rain, looking back and listening for the tandem of Garbagemon in the distance. "We're going to have to chance it. If worse comes to worse, we'll have to make an escape. But if we don't go in, we're going to have to keep running. Our footprints will be left visible once we leave this grassy area, and though they're not too smart, I bet the Garbagemon could put two and two together. If we pass up this opportunity, we may miss a temporary sanctuary."

_I'd forgotten how reasonable he could be._ Sora wouldn't admit what she just thought to anyone, not that any of the others—should they find them—would listen to her. Yes, Yamato could be a brash, cold-hearted jerk at times, but the Yamato she had fallen in love with years back was a strong individual, always caring and looking out for the ones around him rather than himself.

"What are we waiting for then?"

* * *

"Ouch,"

Three times. Takeru couldn't help it that he was tall. It seemed this underground house, or whatever kind of place it was, was meant for someone much shorter. His brother didn't seem to be coping much better, but Sora wasn't having much of a dilemma. It was dark in here, but refreshingly lighter _and drier_ that outside. Through the occasional, sublime windows that had been, it appeared, hastily crafted, he could still see the rain hit the ground though he could no longer hear it.

It was hard to imagine what this place was used for, exactly. From the looks of things, this place had been recklessly abandoned and left deserted. Sora found a candle and some matches lying discarded on a makeshift table, lighting one and illuminating the apparent meeting room. There were tree stumps, _probably brought in for seats._ Blankets of some type of wool were littered in one corner and clumped up in a large ball. _Must be the only way whoever was staying here could keep warm. _

All in all it was a rather homey, welcoming room. Sora touched one of the walls, backing away as she realized there was a blood smear. "Apparently whoever was here last put up a struggle and didn't want to leave."

Yamato nodded while walking one more time around the whole room. "Looks that way. I'd say it's probably safe to assume there's no one here, and the former inhabitants happened to be on "our side"."

"Do you think we'll be safe here for the night?" It was odd; Takeru still hadn't comprehended the fact he was working with the two individuals before him. His only brother, one of the people who had abandoned him for his own shot of fame and the closest person to a sister, who had left him alone for her own ambiguous reasons, now were his allies. While a bit odd and hard to believe, there was something refreshing about it as well, like a small token of the old days when they never worried about being enemies of each other.

"I'm not sure," Sora was the first to speak up. "It seems like finding this shelter was a little bit too good to be true. Maybe I'm just being a bit paranoid, as we ran across our last shelter with no problem, but maybe it has something to do with the fact we were just pursed by a bunch of digimon who were throwing trash at us."

"I think we need a guard of some sort."

Takeru raised an eyebrow. "You want one of us to be like a human bait or something? Probably not one of your more ingenious ideas, Yamato."

The animosity was back. It wasn't as bitter as the times before, but the stench of it was still very evident in the air. "That would be a bit foolish, don't you think? I think one of us should stay guard in here, preferably by the door."

"I take it I'm not the only one who sensed something peculiar about it, then." Sora gestured in the direction of the dirt door, frowning at the sight. "I can see it perfectly well from here, but it was like we almost completely missed it from the outside. And, it looks like…what's that?"

The two males, uncertain as to what her cry was about, stepped forward protectively. Now, it seemed like they were stepping back into their old ways, wanting to make sure Sora was safe even though they knew she could take care of herself. _That's just what friends do._ The irony was not lost on Yamato as he warily approached the door.

"Sora, what did you just. . ."

She shushed him, walking up to the door and pulling out what looked to be a hinge that held the door together. "I don't believe it." The hinge, once pulled out, was revealed to be quite different. Sora opened it up all the way and a tube-like, telescope mechanism appeared. Placing her eye on the whole, the redhead let out a gasp. "I was right; it's rather crude and thrown together, but it's a periscope that shows what's going on outside. This is how we're going to stand guard tonight."

"It seems like whoever was here before us had the same idea."

Takeru looked down at his watch or, rather, the thing that used to be his watch. "Apparently this thing wasn't waterproof. Do either of you know what time it is?" His two companions shook their heads, and the youngest there knew better than to look outside to figure out what time of day it was. "So…what do we do now? We're sitting ducks here."

"We wait," Yamato abruptly turned to face them. "That's all we can do. Pull up a blanket and get some rest. I have a feeling we're going to be in for a lot in the next few days. May as well be well rested."

"What about you?" Sora asked, uncertain if he was just saying it so they wouldn't have to talk with one another or if he was generally concerned for everyone's well being.

"I'm going to take the first watch."

**Five hours later. . .**

Sitting around and waiting had never appealed to Sora. She classified herself an insomniac, unable to sleep or even pretend to rest up when everyone else around her could shut and eyelid and be off to dreamland. Takeru fit that category. With a smile on her face, though she didn't know it, she remembered their earlier adventures and the tiny snoring the boy was prone to do. _I guess he's grown out of it. There's so much I don't know about him anymore. Or Yamato. _

While his brother was in what seemed to be a fitful slumber—as he had awoken nearly every half hour—the older blond sat before the periscope, eye trained in the direction of the outdoors and mind probably off somewhere that wasn't in this small safe house. And wasn't around her.

_How did everything get so screwed up?_

Just watching him, actually looking and observing him and hoping he didn't know reminded Sora of the reasons she had fallen for him in the first place. There was no denying he was gorgeous; even those who cursed his music vouched for that fact. But she had been drawn to something more; something she couldn't explain; something that had, in fact, developed from their time spent in the uncertainty of their first digital adventure.

The air around them was suddenly filled with the soft hum of a harmonica, slipping the lone female into a stronger state of nostalgia and longing. Her ears perked at the song. There was something peacefully familiar about it. As the rather melancholy melody quietly floated through the room, she put her finger on it. . .

* * *

**Flashback**

Standing watch was not anyone's favorite job. But it was a routine job of being there, as normal to the schedule as looking for food, cleaning up the temporary camp and answering Takeru's and Hikari's endless stream of incredibly difficult questions. Sora didn't mind doing it; she certainly didn't like it, though.

It was particularly a burden on nights like these. The late shift was the graveyard one, the one that seemed to be as infinite as the darkness of night. Silence surrounded whoever was on guard, and it seemed almost too peaceful, like something was going to sneak out and spoil this apparent perfectly calm night.

Sora shivered as the wind nipped at her skin. Piyomon moved closer to her, and the two huddled as they sat out the night guard. Guarding from anything like this was a tough job for someone so young. She had a feeling that by the time they escaped from this world and had tied up all loose ends for good, the chosen children would be wiser and more mature than even older teenagers and adults. Their childhood had been inadvertently ripped away. Sure, this adventure had had its high moments, but the lows, at times, could pull one to depression. It was like all innocence on the part of the older children had vanished once they'd been sucked even deeper into this battle. They'd seen things even those five times their age had never encountered and with each of these battles and struggles to survive, had lost a bit of their youthfulness and optimism. Sometimes they viewed the world through cynical colored glasses and wondered why they even put up a fight.

But there were other times, times Sora liked to reflect on when she was dutifully playing guard, that made everything more worthwhile. There was always a chance they could defeat whichever digimon they encountered next. Light and darkness weren't always equally proportioned in this or any world. Both existed concurrently, though; there was _always_ a bit of light left out there no matter how dark a situation was. Something stuck her about that comment, like it was something she should remember because it would affect her later on in life, but she pushed it to the back of her mind for the time being.

She glanced to the ground off to her right where the remnants of her group were sleeping, hopefully peacefully. Sora tried not to laugh as Taichi and Agumon traded off snores. With all the work they did and all the effort the two put in leading this little band every day, Sora knew they deserved a well-earned sleep as often as they could get. Hikari and Gatomon were on his right side. The cat digimon possessed very strange sleeping patterns. The redhead couldn't figure out if it was just a cat thing or if it had something to do with her time spent on Myotismon's side. Takeru and Patamon slept on the other side, adopting the snoring habit they had each recently developed.

Sora smiled to herself, thinking about how the group as a whole had grown to be like a family. They all had their odd quirks and idiosyncrasies, but everyone brought a little something different to the team and gave their own unique input to every situation. _Too bad the whole team isn't all together anymore. But Gatmon's right; we will be. Someday. . ._

"Sora," Piyomon's ears perked up, and she turned to the western part of camp. "Did you hear that?"

The bearer of love faced the direction her partner was gesturing to, listening closely. At first, there was nothing to be heard. There was a light breeze around them that night, but it wasn't causing any significant noise around them.

And then she heard it.

It was a light rustling sound, like there was someone or something there. Analyzing the situation and waiting to hear the sound a few more times, Sora realized it couldn't be something too big. _If we were back in our world, I'd brush it off as some small animal. But here, even some of the smallest creatures can be feared._

The sound continued in an inconsistent pattern. Piyomon tugged at her partner's sleeve. "Should we alert the others?"

"No," the girl slowly answered, "I think we'll be okay to investigate this one on our own. It doesn't sound like anyone or anything big is causing the noise. But we can turn around immediately if things are worse than they seem, and we can get the others."

Her partner wasn't particularly convinced it was the right thing to do, but Sora's gut told her this wasn't something to be afraid of. Quietly, almost hesitantly, they approached the brush on the western edge of camp. Their footsteps were lighter than feathers, and they tiptoed around the clump of small trees and grasses, approaching the creature from behind.

Sora pulled back a large branch, hiding herself in the darkness but still able to reveal the creature. Or, rather, creatures. She let out a gasp. . .

"You never answered my question."

"What's there to say?"

"You're dancing around the topic again."

"Even if there was something to say. . ."

"…it would serve you best to tell me, Yamato. I'm not going to tell anyone anything you say. Your secrets are safe with me."

He looked at her, sitting across from him by the fire, the moonlight shining brightly around them. Their partners had taken up Sora's guard station, quietly conversing together and leaving the two humans to their own matters.

Yamato didn't know what to think of the girl before him. He usually had a good idea of the others' thoughts of him, but she was a bit of a mystery. The two of them really never talked before this adventure. He found her to be a bit of a tomboy, really close to Taichi, but, as he learned early on in this journey, still was a kind-hearted girl within. She never tolerated his crap; in some odd way that his eleven-year old self didn't understand, he liked that.

As the time in the digital world went on, he found her a casual acquaintance, one of the easier people to talk to whenever he felt like putting in his two cents. Sora was one of the most reasonable there, and Yamato found himself generally agreeing with her whenever decisions had to be made. But most importantly to him, she didn't judge him because of his past and present faults, which kind of surprised him. It was like she picked up on something more that no one else could see about him, even himself. _And I thought I was the only silent observer._

But no matter how much he had come to respect the girl sitting across from him, he couldn't open up to her. Gabumon, his closest friend here—besides his brother—didn't even know some of the things within Yamato's heart. They were private battles, stemmed from things in his past and a feeling of unworthiness in his life. Yamato knew he'd have to eventually overcome these obstacles. Truth be told, he wanted to get over the barriers and rejoin the group. He just couldn't; there was no tangible reason why. It just wasn't his time yet. And his heart told him that although Sora probably could relate to some of his fears, she wouldn't be the one to make them go away.

"So. . ."

Yamato glanced at the girl. "What?"

"Why did you leave the group? That's not too much to ask, is it?"

"I told you all when I left. I need to discover the meaning of friendship. And it's something I need to do on my own. I appreciated all your suggestions on splitting the group up, but I just know I have to do this alone."

"But surely there's something more to this. It might do you some good to open up to someone instead of keeping things to yourself."

She was persuasive. For someone of such a young age, she'd developed quite the questioning skills and convincing arguments. "I just. . ."

"…you can't _or_ you won't."

Her comment was rewarded with a small smile. "It's complicated, Sora. I know you're only trying to help, but I just can't explain it."

"I understand," Her eyes were full of reassurance. "But if you ever do want to talk about something like this, Yamato, I'm here to listen. I don't know what all you want to sort out, but I can tell you for sure that I can relate," she slowly stated, remembering her own struggles with her relationship with her mother and wondering if his were along the same lines. "But I'm not going to force you to do something it you don't want to. It's not fair or polite."

Yamato nodded his head in gratitude, and silence overtook the two. Sora wished he would tell her more to fill in the holes, but she wasn't going to prod in his business. That was one of the things she had come to accept about Yamato over the course of this adventure. While they'd never really talked or anything while in school, they'd started to here. He just kept surprising her.

Sora could see how fiercely loyal he was to his brother and Gabumon, and, though she knew he probably didn't realize it yet, the rest of the team. It seemed like he was always looking out for them, even now when he was usually far away. _Look at the way he took on Puppetmon._

His anger bursts didn't classify him as a mean, violent person, at least in her mind. She knew there was more to the problem than he let out. Perhaps he had some problems with his family just as she had. From the way he behaved at times, it certainly seemed that way. Although she wanted to help and wanted him to come back to the rest of the team, Sora could understand his reasoning for leaving. _Let's just hope he decides to come back permanently very soon._

They sat together in a comfortable silence, seemingly coming to a silent conclusion on things. He was a bit more calm and comforted that she actually _had_ discovered him. He hadn't meant for anyone to do so, but the more he thought about it, the better he felt. It was surprisingly a bit helpful talking to someone, even if the responses back and forth were as ambiguous as the attack of the next Dark Master. She was happy he chose to confide in her, even if it was only a little bit. One of these days he would come back and realize the meaning of friendship was in him all along. And Sora had a feeling the two of them would have a strong friendship in the future.

"Do you ever. . ." he paused, blue eyes scrutinizing her, "do you ever feel like you're standing in a center of a really crowded room? Everyone around you is talking at the top of their lungs, and no one can ever hear anything you say? Or maybe no one cares?"

She hadn't expected him to say anything, especially along those lines. "I have plenty of times." It began to dawn on her. "Is that how you feel sometimes?" He shifted in his seat, and Sora could tell it wasn't a subject he really wanted to discuss. Her mother often commented about men refusing to discuss their feelings, settling instead for a tougher exterior that concealed the things they should have been talking about.

"Just forget I said anything." He stood to leave. "I'd better get going. We've probably been here long enough. Please don't tell anyone I was here, especially Taichi or Takeru."

She took a long breath out, biting her lip in thought. "Alright," she quietly relented, wondering if it was really a good idea. "Be careful, Yamato. And remember…we _do _care about you. Come back soon." She wondered if she should've added the last part.

He had paused at the last statement. Slowly he turned to face her. "Take care of Takeru. I know he can hold his own, but just watch out for him, Sora. And all the others, as well."

"Of course. Is that why you came back tonight, Yamato?"

It wasn't supposed to be like this. While he was glad she had discovered him checking up on everyone, now he was a bit irritated. Did all girls ask these kinds of questions?

"This isn't the first time I've come back. I just want to make sure you guys are alright. Just…please don't tell anyone. I don't want them to know. I didn't want _anyone_ to know."

She took the hint. "I promise I won't tell anyone. Your secrets are safe with me," she sincerely added.

He nodded again in thanks, motioning for Gabumon to come follow him. "Bye, Sora, Piyomon."

"Bye," the two watched the blond and his partner walk off into the distance. "Be careful, Yamato."

Sora resumed her watch post, knowing Taichi would soon be up to take over so she could get some sleep. Her ears perked up again, and she was heartened to hear a sound coming from the direction Yamato was in. It was a rather lonely melody played on his harmonica yet while it was a bit sad, it was also, in her opinion, rather optimistic. _I have a feeling this isn't the last we'll be seeing of him. . ._

**End Flashback**

_

* * *

_

"How'd we get to be so screwed up?"

Yamato glanced up, confused to see Sora standing by and addressing him. "Excuse me,"

She sat down next to him. "Why are we all playing these games? We used to be so close and had such unbreakable bonds. Now…we just let distance and stupid stuff divide us and look at what we've become."

"Why are you saying this all of a sudden? I'll admit I'm happy you're talking to me again, but I'm a little bit uncertain as to why."

In her time lost in her memories, the pieces of the puzzle had fallen into alignment. They were broken as a team once before. Yamato had left on his own, wanting to find himself on his own terms. Mimi and Jyou remained behind, as well. Sora often wondered if things could ever be right between the eight.

Her mind moved to things they'd managed to accomplish together upon being reunited, and how they even adopted four new members into their little "club" of digidestined and made things right after saving Ken from the dark spore. No matter what the situation brought, no matter how dark, hopeless or unchangeable something appeared, they had always conquered the obstacle. _Together._ Why was this any different?

"We made some mistakes, Yamato. But didn't we overcome all our old problems when we were here the first time? Didn't we manage to get through all these things together? How is this situation any different? Sure it's a completely different scenario, and it'll probably take along time for our relationship with each other to ever rival the one we did have, but why can't we forgive and forget? Why can't we at least try? Let's not start over; let's just have a new beginning. That goes for all of us and all our severed relationships. We've made individual mistakes that have hurt each other, but what better time to realize _everyone_ made these mistakes. Why not try everything again?"

"Can I talk now?" He had patiently waited, wanting to cut in a few times, but knew what she was planning to say was important. "It seems kind of simple. Do you really think everyone is going to consent to something like this? Not everyone is going to see things the way you do. Not everyone is so hopeful."

"Including you," she dared to venture into those waters.

He gave a ghost of a smile. "Did I say that? Sor, you can't imagine how much I want us to be the way we were before. But. . ."

"…things aren't going to magically be the way they were, Yamato. I don't want to jump back into your arms and have everything perfect. I know I still love you—I never stopped. But we have to learn about each other all over again. We have to realize what made us fall in love in the start and fight to keep it alive. And we'll have to discover all the things about each other that we missed over the past years. It won't be easy, but I want to give us another shot. Do you?"

"I'd pull you into my arms and kiss you right now, but I know that wouldn't be greeted well," Yamato answered. "I'm willing to give us another go, Sora. You know I love you; I think I've made that pretty clear. But I'm not so sure about the others." He glanced at the sleeping form of his brother. "I don't know if all mends can heal themselves. I know things are going to be difficult. I have a feeling the two of us are going to find this process more trying than we ever thought. "

"We have to try if nothing else. Before we can go back to being lovers, we're going to be friends. Maybe our friendship will show the others it is possible to work things out, that things _can _be fixed. I'll help you out and be with you all the way. You can count on me and my friendship. I promise. . ."

A glow cut off her words before she could say anything else. The two shielded their eyes from the bright red light, wondering what was going on and if they'd been discovered. The light ceased, and Sora thought she was going to faint.

"Piyomon?"

"Sora?"

The reunion was entirely expected, but Yamato still wasn't prepared for the amount of joy and love between the two. Their light emanated across the room, and Yamato was struck with the same feelings. _Maybe things won't be as bad as I thought. Time will tell. . ._

Across the room, Takeru had watched things unfold while pretending to be asleep. He rolled his eyes at the sap surrounding him, wondering how they could so readily forgive one another and try to make amends. But while his despair was still the primary feature in his heart, another more foreign emotion was trying to gain its rightful place where it belonged: hope. . .

**A/N: Finally done! Finally done! One mended relationship (or at least the beginning stages of it) and more to come! Okay, some notes about the chapter:**

1) It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. From _A Tale of Two Cities _by Charles Dickens. Pretty good novel, though a bit predicable at times, particularly the end. The opening line, stated above, refers to the differences between England and France during the late 1700's (mainly the years of the French Revolution). _A Tale of Two Cities_ is set in both countries with England representing safety and order and France standing for death and terror.

2) Sora's memory takes place between the time Yamato and Metalgarurumon defeated Puppetmon and "The Crest of Friendship" storyline. Yamato refers to her as a casual acquaintance rather than a friend because at that time he had yet to have his realization in the cave of darkness with Gabumon.

3) Yamato's line: "Do you ever feel. . ." is sort of a paraphrase of Rose's line in _Titanic._ It just seemed kind of fitting.

4) Some gender psychology from my speech class: men speak in report talk. That is, they are more competitive, more likely to interrupt each other and tend to disregard feelings in conversations. When women tell them about something, they'll get all the facts but usually ignore all emotions. Women are the opposite. They speak in rapport talk, centering on building relationships, addressing feelings and women take their turns when they talk.

5) This chapter was based off the song "Hear Me" by Kelly Clarkson. If lyrics could be included, they would definitely be in this chapter.

6) This chapter marks the start of "Book 1" of this story. Book one is going to focus on, as the title said, the rediscovery of the team unity and individual traits needed to defeat Daemon. "Book 2", the final chapters, will focus on destiny.

**Hope you guys liked this chapter. Hopefully _Undercover_ will be up next week, maybe by my birthday. I'd like to say things have settled down, but my school's girls' basketball team qualified for state, and we play on Tuesday night. If we win, we play Thursday night, and we could end up playing in the championship on Saturday. And I've got like six scholarships due on Wednesday, along with a band concert, and I need to write an informative speech about something. Anyone have some ideas? Well, please review and tell me what you thought of things. **


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